Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has rejected the framework agreement signed between Lebanon and Israel in Washington, D.C., describing it as "humiliating, shameful, and a surrender of sovereignty" for Lebanon. The agreement, signed on June 26, 2026, links Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon to Hezbollah's disarmament.
Qassem stated, "We will continue as a resistance in the field to defeat the occupation [Israel]. We did not leave the field under difficult circumstances and we will not abandon it." He accused the Lebanese government of legitimizing Israel's occupation by signing the agreement.
Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, indicated that Israel might remain in Lebanon regardless of Hezbollah's disarmament. Smotrich remarked, "We are there until Hezbollah disarms and I think also beyond that, because we need defendable borders." Notably, the agreement does not mandate Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
Al Jazeera's Lebanon correspondent, Zeina Khodr, noted that the term "withdrawal" is absent from the text of the agreement. Instead, it outlines a path toward normalization between the two states, including recognition of each other's right to exist and intentions to formally end the state of war.
Following the signing, Hezbollah supporters protested in Beirut, burning tires and blocking roads. Despite the agreement, Israeli forces conducted airstrikes near southern Lebanese towns, including Markaba and Nabatieh al-Fawqa.
While Hezbollah rejected the agreement, some Lebanese officials expressed optimism. Former Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi stated that Lebanon is finally "acting like a state" and emphasized the need for Lebanese decision-making to be independent of Hezbollah's influence.
In response to the protests, Public Prosecutor Judge Ahmad Rami al-Hajj ordered security forces to prevent riots and identify participants for legal action. Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah warned that any enforcement of the agreement by the Lebanese army could lead to civil war.
