Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday hailed the framework of understandings reached with Lebanon as a "historic accomplishment" that could help end the war with Iranian-backed Hezbollah and eventually lead to peace with Beirut.
The premier said the direct negotiations held under U.S. mediation in Washington, D.C., represented a "massive blow" to Hezbollah and its Iranian patron.
Details of the Agreement
"Under these understandings, the United States and Lebanon have recognized Israel's right to maintain the security zone inside Lebanon for as long as it is required for our security," Netanyahu told reporters at a press conference after Shabbat ended in Israel.
"We will continue to hold it until Hezbollah and the rest of the terrorist organizations are disarmed, and until no further threat to Israel is posed from Lebanon," he added.
The agreement lays out two pilot zones "recommended by the Israel Defence Forces," where the Lebanese Armed Forces would deploy and disarm Hezbollah.
Impact on Hezbollah and Iran
"Lebanon, Israel and the United States are essentially saying to Iran: This is none of your business. You have no status here. You have no involvement and no role, not you, not Hezbollah and not any terrorist organization," Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu emphasized that Jerusalem reached the deal with Lebanon only after the Israel Defence Forces applied military pressure on Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic.
"Hezbollah, which expected assistance from Iran, did not receive it, because we struck Iran hard," he said. "All of this was done thanks to the heroism of our fighters, and also thanks to the wise and courageous decisions we made."
Before the Iranian proxy joined the war sparked by Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border massacre on the southern border, it had 150,000 missiles and rockets aimed at the Jewish state, the premier recalled, saying that some 90 percent of this "vast arsenal" was destroyed by the IDF during the fighting.
Reactions and Acknowledgments
The leader of the Jewish state thanked U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Israel's negotiating team, led by Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter, as well as the government and people of Lebanon, who he said "showed great courage" by joining the direct talks.
"We are breaking the Iranian axis of terror, but we are also breaking the Iranian diplomatic axis," he stated.
