Washington/Beirut, June 27,2026: Israel has agreed to withdraw its military forces from two areas in southern Lebanon and transfer control to the Lebanese Armed Forces under a new US-brokered “framework agreement” signed in Washington,unveiled by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The agreement marks as an initial step towards a broader peace arrangement between the two countries.
Speaking at the State Department, Rubio said the two countries which committed months ago to the goal of striking a lasting peace and security deal had struck a new “framework agreement” to that end after several days of meetings.
The agreement, reached after four days of negotiations involving Israel, Lebanon and the United States, is intended to create a framework for future negotiations aimed at improving security and stability along the Israel-Lebanon border.
Tensions were escalated between the Trump administration and both countries about whether Lebanon’s fate will be linked to US peace negotiations with Iran. The agreement reached on Friday intend to shape Lebanon’s future independent of the US-Iran conflict.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would withdraw from two designated pilot zones one north of the Litani River and another south of it describing the move as the evacuation of positions that Israel “does not need” to maintain.
“The agreement enables Israel to remain in key security areas while allowing the Lebanese Army to begin assuming responsibility in selected locations,” Netanyahu said in a recorded statement.
While speaking to reporters, Rubio, who witnessed the signing ceremony at the State Department,praised the agreement as a “major milestone,”and described the accord as “the beginning of the beginning” of a broader diplomatic process between Israel and Lebanon.
“There’s a lot of work ahead. We don’t, in any way, underestimate the difficulty of the task ahead. But we understand how vital it is,” Rubio said.
Lebanon’s Ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh, called the agreement “the first step on the road to restoring Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The framework comes despite continued low-level hostilities between Israeli forces and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group following a fragile ceasefire. Hezbollah was not a party to the agreement, raising questions over the implementation of key provisions relating to security in southern Lebanon.
Under the 14-point framework, both Israel and Lebanon affirmed “the right of each state to live in peace” and expressed a “mutual desire to live in security as neighboring sovereign states.”
The agreement also commits both sides to cease hostile actions in international political and legal forums, work towards the release of detainees and the return of human remains, while affirming that “nothing in this framework prevents them from exercising their inherent right to defend themselves.”
The Lebanese Armed Forces will gradually assume responsibility for designated areas as part of a pilot programme. The agreement states that Lebanon will restore effective sovereign authority across its territory “pending the verified disarmament of non-state armed groups and dismantlement of associated infrastructure.”
To support implementation, a US-backed military coordination mechanism will be established, while Lebanon has sought assistance from international partners, particularly Arab countries, under US leadership.
Netanyahu described the agreement as a strategic achievement for Israel, saying it allows Israeli forces to retain positions in parts of southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed.
“The most important thing is that, first and foremost, Israel remains in the security zone in southern Lebanon,” Netanyahu said. “This is a major achievement, and we will maintain it as long as Hezbollah has not been disarmed, as long as there is a threat to the State of Israel.”
“This is also a major blow to Iran. Iran is trying to force us into a withdrawal from southern Lebanon by force. Israel, Lebanon and the United States are telling them: this is none of your business,” Netanyahu said.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun welcomed the agreement, thanking the United States for facilitating the negotiations. He said the framework would enable Lebanese citizens to return to “their fully liberated land under the sovereignty of a Lebanese state that has no partner in its sovereignty over its land and its people,” in an apparent reference to Hezbollah’s influence.
However, Hezbollah rejected the process. Hassan Fadallah, a Hezbollah lawmaker, said the group opposed direct negotiations with Israel and urged the Lebanese government to “retract these negotiations and all the decisions they have made against their people.”
The agreement follows months of diplomatic efforts by Washington to prevent renewed fighting between Israel and Hezbollah from escalating into a wider regional conflict. US officials have argued that reducing tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border is essential to broader regional stability.
Although the accord marks the first formal framework agreed by Israel and Lebanon in years, implementation is expected to face significant challenges, particularly given Hezbollah’s absence from the negotiations and Israel’s insistence that its forces will remain in parts of southern Lebanon until the group’s military capabilities are dismantled.
Limited cross-border exchanges of fire have continued despite previous ceasefire agreements, with both Israel and Hezbollah accusing each other of violations. The new framework seeks to establish conditions for a more durable security arrangement, though officials on all sides acknowledged that substantial negotiations remain ahead.
