Key facts
- Lebanon and Israel signed a US-brokered framework agreement in Washington.
- The agreement aims to establish a framework for lasting peace and security.
- Hezbollah is not a party to the agreement and has protested it.
- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun defended the deal, prioritizing negotiations over war.
- The framework requires the Lebanese Armed Forces to restore sovereign authority pending disarmament of non-state groups.
- A significant number of displaced residents remain unable to return to southern Lebanon due to damaged housing and security concerns.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has defended a recently signed framework agreement with Israel, emphasizing diplomacy as the only viable alternative to war and rejecting criticism that the deal undermines the country's sovereignty. The agreement, brokered by the U.S. and signed in Washington, aims to establish a framework for lasting peace and security between the two nations.
Despite the signing, Hezbollah supporters have protested the agreement, arguing that it does not make the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon contingent on the disarmament of Hezbollah. President Aoun warned against discord and discouraged public demonstrations, stating that Lebanon's dispute is with Israel as a sovereign state and that the framework does not relinquish legal, political, or field principles.
The 14-point framework includes affirmations of each state's right to live in peace and security, and a pledge to work towards the release of detainees and return of remains. It also states that the Lebanese Armed Forces will restore effective sovereign authority over all Lebanese territory, pending the verified disarmament of non-state armed groups. Lebanon has requested support from international and particularly Arab partners, under the leadership of the U.S., for implementation, and a U.S.-supported military coordination group will be established.
However, a report highlighted that the return of displaced residents to southern Lebanon remains significantly hampered. Over 61,000 housing units have been destroyed or damaged, leaving large parts of the region uninhabitable, with approximately 134,800 people still in shelters. The fear of renewed fighting and the lack of a lasting political settlement, sufficient reconstruction funding, and effective security guarantees are major obstacles to sustainable returns.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated that Israeli forces will remain in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah disarms, underscoring the ongoing tensions.