On June 26, 2026, the United States, Israel, and Lebanon signed the Trilateral Framework Agreement in Washington, the first directly negotiated Israel-Lebanon peace framework since 1983, driven by a shared determination to end Iranian interference in both countries. For decades, both countries had been dragged into war by Iran, acting through its terrorist proxy Hezbollah, which undermined Lebanon’s sovereignty, launched attacks on Israel, and exported chaos across the Middle East.
The agreement was reached after multiple rounds of direct negotiations, with both governments declaring their intent to conclusively end the conflict, address its underlying causes, and formally conclude any state of war between them. It establishes a structured process to restore Lebanon’s sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure, and enable Israel to withdraw from Lebanese territory once that threat is removed.
It also creates a trilateral Military Coordination Group for Lebanon, facilitated by the United States. Iran, which the U.S. Treasury confirmed transferred over $1 billion to Hezbollah since January 2025 alone through the IRGC-Quds Force, is directly targeted by the agreement, which commits Lebanon and the U.S. to preventing funds from flowing to any entity, organization, or individual affiliated with non-state armed groups.
Iran provides Hezbollah with an estimated $700 million to $1 billion annually, funding its paramilitary forces, weapons procurement, and social services networks that entrench its political power in Lebanon. Hezbollah’s founder, in a 2016 speech, publicly confirmed that all of the organization’s funding, its salaries, weapons, and missiles, comes directly from Iran.
Under the deal, Israeli forces will begin partially withdrawing from southern Lebanon, pulling out of two pilot zones within the buffer zone, to be replaced by the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter stated at the signing that Israel will maintain its buffer zone until the LAF demonstrates it can dismantle Hezbollah and assume security responsibility, adding: “Iran is out, Hezbollah is out, and the road to peace between Israel and Lebanon is in.”
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem called the agreement a “humiliation,” vowing to keep fighting until Israel withdraws from Lebanon and rejecting any linkage between Israel’s pullout and Hezbollah’s disarmament as a “very dangerous suggestion.” Lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah warned that enforcing the framework would require civil war, pledging that Hezbollah would confront any measure taken by Lebanese authorities and would not surrender its weapons.
That defiance reflects a deeper structural problem. Senior Lebanese officials have consistently prioritized deconfliction with Hezbollah over disarmament, and LAF commanders have reportedly tipped off Hezbollah in advance of patrols and inspections — a practice that has frustrated Israeli and U.S. officials.
Disarmament efforts began in earnest after President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam took office in January 2025. In August, the government directed the LAF to draft a plan for a state monopoly over all weapons in Lebanon. The cabinet formally adopted the resulting five-phase plan, known as Homeland Shield, on September 5, 2025, starting south of the Litani River and proceeding north in stages.
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