Netanyahu says Israel to remain in south Lebanon despite US-backed peace framework

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday said Israel would maintain its military presence in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is fully disarmed, even as Israel, Lebanon and the United States signed a trilateral framework aimed at ending decades of conflict and laying the groundwork for a broader peace agreement.“The most important thing is, first of all, that Israel remains in the security zone in southern Lebanon. This is a major achievement, and we will maintain it as long as Hezbollah has not disarmed,” Netanyahu said in a pre-recorded video released shortly after the agreement was signed in Washington.The framework commits Israel and Lebanon to a phased process under which the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) will gradually assume control over Lebanese territory after the verified disarmament of Hezbollah and other non-state armed groups. In return, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will progressively redeploy from Lebanese territory through a series of agreed pilot zones.Also read: What is the US-Israel-Lebanon deal? Hezbollah warns of ‘civil war’ over ‘disarmament of non-state armed groups’Speaking after the signing ceremony, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the agreement as the start of a longer peace process.“Today is the beginning of the beginning,” Rubio said. “There’s a lot of work ahead. We don’t, in any way, underestimate the difficulty of the task ahead. But we understand the importance of it, how vital it is. And we are honored to play a part in bringing this together.”Netanyahu said Israel would begin implementing two pilot areas under the agreement, allowing the Lebanese army to take over territory that the Israeli military no longer considers strategically necessary.“We are implementing two pilot areas, both at the army’s recommendation. One is entirely outside the security zone and south of the Litani River, while the other is north of the Litani,” he said.The trilateral framework does not identify the two locations. It states that two initial pilot zones have been agreed by the IDF and the LAF, where phased and verified redeployments of Israeli forces will take place once the disarmament of non-state armed groups and the dismantling of their infrastructure are confirmed.Netanyahu said the withdrawals would not alter Israel’s overall security posture in southern Lebanon and ruled out the return of displaced Lebanese civilians to the Israeli-controlled security zone for now.“We are maintaining the original security zone at all times, outside the range of anti-tank fire. We are not allowing Hezbollah to enter it, nor are we allowing the civilian population to enter,” he said.The framework signed by Israel, Lebanon and the United States outlines a reciprocal and conditions-based roadmap aimed at ending hostilities. It requires Lebanon to restore state authority across its territory, establish a monopoly over the use of force and ensure the complete and verified disarmament of all non-state armed groups, particularly Hezbollah.In return, Israel has committed to progressively redeploying its forces from Lebanese territory once agreed security conditions are met. The agreement also says Israel has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon and that the elimination of threats posed by Hezbollah would remove the need for any future Israeli military presence.The framework further provides for the creation of a military coordination group with US participation, internationally supported reconstruction in areas transferred to Lebanese control, and the launch of direct negotiations toward a comprehensive peace and security agreement.Lebanon’s Ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, called the accord the “first step on the road to restoring Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity.”Lebanese President Joseph Aoun thanked the Trump administration for hosting the negotiations, saying the agreement would allow the Lebanese people to “return to their fully liberated land … under sovereignty of a Lebanese state that has no partner in its sovereignty over its land and its people.”However, Hezbollah rejected the negotiations. Hassan Fadallah, a Hezbollah member of Lebanon’s parliament, criticised the talks and urged the Lebanese government to abandon them.Speaking to the pro-Hezbollah Al-Mayadeen news channel, Fadallah said, “Whoever shakes hands with the enemy is a criminal like them.”The agreement follows five rounds of US-mediated negotiations in Washington after months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Previous ceasefire efforts, including a truce announced in April, failed to halt the conflict.Under the framework, the United States has also pledged to mobilise international support for Lebanon’s reconstruction, economic recovery and humanitarian assistance, while future US assistance to the Lebanese military will be linked to verified progress in disarming non-state armed groups and restoring full state control across the country.