Hezbollah chief calls U.S.-Israel-Lebanon deal 'grave blunder', deems it null and void

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary. The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Published - June 27, 2026 10:35 pm IST - Beirut, Lebanon Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem. File | Photo Credit: Reuters Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem condemned the U.S.-Israel-Lebanon framework agreement on Saturday (June 27, 2026), saying it is a major mistake by the government and that his group deems it null and void. West Asia war LIVE: Israel Defence Minister says will use ‘force’ against Iran if it prevents Lebanon deal implementation The agreement — which includes a pilot effort in which Lebanese soldiers take control of two areas currently occupied by Israel, as well as a process aimed at disarming Hezbollah — was signed in Washington on Friday (June 27, 2026) after five rounds of talks. "The framework agreement in Washington is humiliating, shameful, and a surrender of sovereignty. This agreement is null and void, and the provisions of the Iranian-American memorandum of understanding must be implemented," Mr. Qassem said in a statement, referring to the deal to end the broader West Asian war, which includes a ceasefire in Lebanon. Lebanon was drawn into the regional war on March 2 when Tehran-backed Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader in U.S.-Israeli strikes. Israel responded with heavy airstrikes and an invasion of southern Lebanon, where its troops occupy swathes of territory and have been carrying out extensive demolitions of homes and other buildings. Mr. Qassem called on the government to withdraw from "its sins that are ruining Lebanon". He accused Lebanese authorities of committing a "grave blunder" and "legitimising the continuation of the [Israeli] occupation for many years," which "may even lead to the annexation of these lands". Hezbollah strongly rejects direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, which have been ongoing since April. An April 17 ceasefire failed to stop the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, but the violence has decreased since the U.S. and Iran reached a memorandum of understanding last week. Iran insists that any deal to end the broader war must include Lebanon, while the Lebanese government has repeatedly tried to separate itself from this track. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun considered the agreement "a first step" to restoring his country's sovereignty. According to the text of the deal shared by the U.S. State Department, Lebanon and Israel, officially at war for decades, expressed their intent to "conclusively end the conflict, address its underlying causes, and to therewith formally conclude any state of war between them". The agreement sets up a process during which Lebanon's military is due to "restore effective sovereign authority over all Lebanese territory, pending the verified disarmament of non-state armed groups". Shortly after the deal was announced, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his forces would remain in occupied Lebanese territory "as long as Hezbollah has not disarmed". Copyright© 2026, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. Terms & conditions | Institutional Subscriber Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments. We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.

Hezbollah chief calls U.S.-Israel-Lebanon deal 'grave blunder', deems it null and void

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Hezbollah chief calls U.S.-Israel-Lebanon deal 'grave blunder', deems it null and void

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