Exclusive JNews Lebanon
The Lebanese crisis has entered its most critical and complex phase in the history of regional diplomatic and military relations, as the corridors of the US State Department in Washington have transformed into an open political confrontation between the Lebanese state and the Iranian axis. Hours after the US administration announced the “Framework Agreement” emerging from the fourth round of military negotiations, Tehran and its Lebanese proxy, “Hezbollah,” rushed to abort the comprehensive ceasefire effort, placing Lebanon’s official decision-making institutions before a turbulent political and field reality.
This development, while expected in the strategic calculations of observers, has clearly established, for the first time, a international diplomatic equation that seeks to “separate the Lebanese track” from regional agendas, specifically those of Iran.
Behind the Scenes: Suspending the Session and Rubio’s Decisive Intervention
Private sources told JNews Lebanon that the hours preceding the issuance of the US statement at dawn today witnessed bated breath and complex management of hotlines led by President General Joseph Aoun from the Baabda Palace, in coordination with the US administration to pressure Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Our sources reveal that the Lebanese negotiating delegation, headed by Ambassador Simon Karam, faced significant Israeli intransigence at the Pentagon. In response, Ambassador Karam took a decisive decision to completely suspend the negotiation round, refusing to move to any technical clause or field detail before obtaining an explicit commitment to a comprehensive and immediate ceasefire. This firm Lebanese stance prompted direct intervention from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who pressured the Israeli side to resume the sessions, which ultimately concluded by responding to the primary Lebanese demand.
In a meeting with journalists at Baabda Palace, President Aoun put the dots on the i’s, describing this agreement as “the last chance to enter into a final and comprehensive ceasefire,” stressing that each party will bear its historical responsibilities in the event of non-compliance. Aoun explained that the American side is awaiting final answers from domestic parties, specifically “Hezbollah,” to announce zero hour, revealing that US President Donald Trump will be the direct guarantor and executor of this agreement, which could take effect within 24 hours of providing mutual guarantees.
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Clauses of the “Framework Agreement”: Full Sovereignty and “Pilot Zones”
The joint statement issued in Washington carried unprecedented sovereign dimensions, designed to end what is known as “foreign guardianship” over Lebanese decision-making. Its features focused on three main pillars:
Exclusivity of Government Decision: The agreement explicitly stated that the future of relations between Lebanon and Israel is decided exclusively by the sovereign governments of the two countries, with an absolute and written rejection of any attempt by a foreign state or non-state actor to impose guardianship on Lebanon’s future or hijack its decision.
Pilot Zones and Disarmament: The proposal stipulates that the ceasefire begins in conjunction with the evacuation of Hezbollah elements from the South Litani region, and the establishment of “pilot zones” in which the Lebanese Armed Forces (the Army) exercise exclusive and full control, with the exclusion and disarmament of any armed groups not affiliated with the state.
Specific Geography for Deployment: JNews Lebanon has learned that the plan submitted by the Lebanese delegation proposed that the starting point for implementing the “pilot zones” mechanism be in the towns of: Zoutar al-Sharqiyah, Zoutar al-Gharbiyah, Yahmour, and the Beaufort Castle (Qalaat al-Shaqif), given their geographical and security symbolism and proximity to the city of Nabatieh.
The Iranian_Veto: Qaani and Qasim Reject Washington’s Equation
The Iranian response was not long in coming, in an attempt to block the diplomacy of the Lebanese state. The commander of the Quds Force in the Revolutionary Guard, Esmail Qaani, rushed to set Tehran’s high-ceiling conditions, considering that “the minimum demand of the resistance is the withdrawal of the Zionist entity to the pre-war borders.”
In the same context, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qasim announced absolute rejection of Washington’s outcomes, describing direct negotiations as “futile and humiliating for Lebanon,” and stressing that “the resistance did not give a commitment to anyone not to respond to aggression,” which officially aborted the clause related to the party’s field commitments in the framework agreement.
The Government Responds: “Exclusivity of Arms” is a Lebanese Commitment, Not an External Condition
In contrast, the morning session of the Council of Ministers served as a platform for an official and implicit response to the party’s stances. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam launched positions of paramount importance and significance, stressing that “the path of negotiation we have chosen is the fastest and least costly path for Lebanon and the Lebanese, and for the South and the Southerners.”
In a high-pitched sovereign stance, Prime Minister Salam clarified that clearing the South Litani area of gunmen and weapons, and the exclusivity of weapons in the hands of the Lebanese state, “is not a condition imposed on us by anyone, but rather a commitment that Lebanon made to the international community through Resolution 1701, and stipulated by the Taif Accord and the government’s ministerial statement.” Salam issued a stern warning, saying: “Whoever refuses or stalls bears alone the weight of what may result from that before history, and most importantly before the Lebanese people.”
Diplomatic Movement: The Hidden Saudi Hand and Le Drian’s Advice
On the Arab and international diplomatic front, JNews Lebanon learned from broad-based sources that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia led a behind-the-scenes and pivotal movement to calm the Lebanese arena and open channels of communication. A hotline was opened directly between Riyadh and Ain el-Tineh since the first moments of the launch of the negotiations, culminating in a morning call between the Saudi Envoy, Prince Yazid bin Farhan, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to discuss the appropriate political exit. Concurrently, French Envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian landed in Beirut, carrying French warnings of the need not to give Israel pretexts to obstruct its withdrawal from territories it recently occupied in the South.
The Field and the US Threat: The “Green Light” Under the Ashes
On the field and political levels, the Israeli and US atmospheres seem headed toward escalation in the event that the Iranian rejection is consolidated. The Israeli government considered that removing Hezbollah from the political equation in Washington is an “unprecedented achievement.” On the other hand, diplomatic circles reported through (Axios) a blatant US warning: If Hezbollah insists on continuing to fire rockets and rejects the framework agreement, this will push President Donald Trump to grant Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “the full green light to escalate the military campaign and expand it in Lebanon.”
These warnings come in conjunction with the Israeli army issuing strict warnings to Lebanese citizens not to head south of the Zahrani River until further notice, amid the continuation of violent raids on areas of the South and the Western Bekaa.
Faced with this scene open to all possibilities, official Lebanon succeeded in wresting a historic diplomatic document with direct US backing, moving the ball completely into the court of “Hezbollah” and Tehran: either to walk under the ceiling of the state and seize the “last chance,” or to enter into a comprehensive and destructive military confrontation with unprecedented international cover.
