Israel welcomes Lebanon deal, media sees civil war risk, Lieberman says Hezbollah clash “inevitable”

Framework deal: Netanyahu links Israeli withdrawal to implementation of security arrangements and Hezbollah disarmament, while the agreement document outlines a phased path for direct US-backed negotiations, as Hezbollah rejects the deal and warns of its repercussions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed in a recorded video address that Israel will not withdraw from what he described as a “security belt” as long as Hezbollah has not been disarmed and as long as, according to him, there is a threat to Israel.

He added that the framework deal allows for the Lebanese army to begin deploying in specified areas based on the Israeli army’s recommendation, with implementation to begin in two pilot zones, within the framework of the stipulated security arrangements.

Israeli welcome

Israeli media outlets raced to welcome the framework deal, with political and military analysts describing it as an “important achievement” and a “positive agreement,” as it links any Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon to the Lebanese army’s progress in extending state control, disarming Hezbollah, and dismantling its military structure.

Former head of Israeli military intelligence (Aman), retired General Amos Yadlin, also considered the agreement an “important and very positive achievement,” noting that it differs from US-Iranian understandings because it conditions Israeli withdrawal on Hezbollah disarmament and sets a goal of reaching a peace agreement between the two sides.

Israeli state radio said the framework deal paves the way for Israeli forces to withdraw from Lebanon after Hezbollah’s disarmament, and also opens the door to a comprehensive peace agreement with the Lebanese state after the end of Iranian influence in the country, according to what it reported.

Talk of civil war

In contrast, Israeli analyses focused on the potential internal repercussions of the agreement within Lebanon, with Channel 13 quoting its military affairs analyst as saying that Israel is “pushing Lebanon into a civil war,” considering that a confrontation between the Lebanese government and Hezbollah “might not be bad for Israel,” and that this “was the goal from the beginning.”

Yedioth Ahronoth also quoted Israeli officials as saying that the Israeli army will currently remain along what is known as the “Yellow Line,” and will not withdraw from Shaqif Castle, and that the return of Lebanese residents to border areas will remain linked to the implementation of the agreement’s provisions.

The newspaper added that the agreement obliges the Lebanese army to work on dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure within the pilot zones, with the scope of implementation to be expanded to additional areas if Israel deems the first phase to have achieved its results.

Confrontation with Hezbollah.. “a matter of time”

For his part, opposition Yisrael Beiteinu party leader Avigdor Lieberman said the framework deal will not prevent a new confrontation, considering that “the next confrontation with Hezbollah is a matter of time.”

He added that the common interest of Israel and Lebanon lies in the Lebanese government extending its full sovereignty over all Lebanese territory, but he believed that this “will not be achieved without eliminating Hezbollah,” according to his expression.

In the same context, officials in Israeli border areas expressed reservations about the speed of any withdrawal from southern Lebanon, with Channel 12 quoting Mateh Asher Regional Council head and Front Line Forum head Moshe Davidovich as saying that maintaining the Israeli army on the front lines is “of critical importance,” considering that the agreement’s success will be measured by the extent of actual security achieved for border areas, not by what the documents or negotiations contain.

Hezbollah’s position: rejection and warnings

Hezbollah rejected the framework deal signed by the Lebanese government with Israel in Washington, with Secretary-General Naim Qassem describing it as “humiliation, shame, and a surrender of sovereignty,” considering that linking Israeli withdrawal to the party’s disarmament is a “very dangerous proposal that crosses all red lines.”

Qassem said in his statements that the agreement comes “in violation of the constitution and laws,” calling on the Lebanese government to “retreat from its transgressions that are destroying Lebanon” and to adhere to implementing the provisions of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding. He affirmed that the party did not abandon the field “in the most difficult circumstances and will not abandon it,” considering that the agreement is “non-existent” and legitimizes Israel’s presence for years and could lead to the annexation of Lebanese territory.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah warned that the agreement “can only be imposed through a civil war,” while supporters of the party took to the streets of Beirut to protest the agreement, according to the National News Agency.

Framework deal rewrites Israel–Lebanon relations if it survives implementation

Full details and timelines of the agreement remain unpublished, but Washington understandings set key principles: mutual recognition, separation of Leba…https://t.co/n9vsDzzhE8 pic.twitter.com/OXaKFoOBDp

— Ynet Global (@ynetnews) June 26, 2026

Agreement provisions

According to what Axios published, the framework deal outlines a phased path leading to direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel with American support and backing, aimed at addressing outstanding issues between the two sides.

The document stipulates that both parties declare their intention to end the conflict and address its causes, affirming each party’s right to exist in peace as sovereign states, with outstanding issues to be resolved through direct US-mediated negotiations.

The agreement also provides for a reciprocal and conditional process based on the gradual deployment of the Lebanese army in pilot zones, in exchange for a phased Israeli withdrawal, with implementation details to be specified in a security annex being developed with US support.

Implementation details include the “formation of a military coordination group” with US participation to oversee implementation, and Israel’s commitment to having no territorial ambitions in Lebanon. The agreement also includes the start of reconstruction and the return of civilians to specified areas after verification of the completion of security arrangements, with the United States to monitor and support the implementation process.

The site quoted an Israeli official as saying that Israel will keep its forces within the security zone located within what is known as the “Yellow Line” until the completion of Hezbollah’s disarmament and the elimination of what he described as any threat emanating from Lebanese territory.

While Israeli reactions focus on the security and political implications of the agreement, the next phase will depend on the mechanisms for implementing its provisions and adherence to the agreed security arrangements, as a direct US-backed negotiating track begins aimed at consolidating stability on the Lebanese-Israeli border, at a time when Hezbollah’s rejection of the agreement remains a key factor that could affect the implementation path.

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