Hezbollah Denounces US-Brokered Deal

A US-brokered roadmap to end fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has landed in Lebanon, with many there considering it a dud. The preliminary framework, signed in Washington on Friday, would see the Lebanese army gradually take control of all territory and disarm nonstate groups, including Hezbollah, as Israeli troops withdraw more than six miles from areas they have held since March, the New York Times reports. Backers, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and President Joseph Aoun, said the deal reasserts state authority, curbs Iranian sway, and could let displaced residents return south, with Washington pledging $100 million in aid.

On the other hand, Hezbollah and its supporters called the deal a surrender to Israeli and American terms, objecting that Israel's pullout is tied to the pace of Hezbollah's disarmament and lacks a fixed timetable. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who helped broker the agreement in Washington, called it a "major milestone" but conceded it's only "the beginning of the beginning" of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon. Protests erupted in Beirut hours after the announcement, with demonstrators blocking roads and burning tires. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem labeled the accord "humiliating" and "null and void." With more than a million people displaced and Israel reportedly carrying out a drone strike in the south less than a day after the signing, many Lebanese fear the deal may deepen internal fractures rather than end the war.

The agreement "legitimized Israel's occupation," a Sidon resident complained, per the AP. "I don't think it will be lasting because the Lebanese military cannot really stand a chance against Hezbollah," said an Israeli citizen visiting the town of Metula on the border. Some people said they don't trust either side. "This deal is not feasible," said a businessman in Beirut. "All parties are buying time. Nothing has changed." The agreement is separate from the framework signed this month by the US and Iran; that ceasefire technically remains in effect while the two sides exchange strikes.