Hezbollah Reacts to New Israel-Lebanon Deal: ‘Our Hands Are on Our Weapons'
The Lebanese Hezbollah movement is willing to abide by a new U.S.-backed deal reached between Israel and Lebanon, but only if Israel were to commit in full, a spokesperson for the group told Newsweek.
Should Israel fail to withdraw entirely from Lebanese territory under the new agreement, which thus far only outlines a partial Israeli military pullback and did not include representation from Hezbollah, the group warned further clashes were inevitable.
“Our hands are on our weapons,” the Hezbollah spokesperson said. “As long as there is occupation, there is resistance. The party did not participate in any discussions. We are committed if the occupation is committed, but we have the right to liberate our land and homes.”
Newsweek has reached out to representatives of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli Foreign Ministry for comment.
What We Know About the Deal
Representatives of Israel, Lebanon and the United States signed a new agreement Friday during a ceremony at the State Department in Washington.
The full details of the deal have yet to be made public, but Israeli media has reported that it would include the IDF’s withdrawal from two areas within a six-mile “security zone” established by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.
Speaking at the signing, Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh called it “a first step on the road to restoring Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity, securing a permanent and final cessation of hostilities, enabling our people to go back to their land and allowing all Lebanese to live in peace, security and prosperity."
Israeli counterpart Yechiel Leiter referred to a “trilateral framework agreement” in which “Iran is out, Hezbollah is out, and the road to peace between Israel and Lebanon is in."
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also was at the signing, said the breakthrough marked “the beginning of the beginning,” adding that “this first step sometimes is the hardest one, but it's an important one, and the one we've taken together."
In a recorded message published Friday after the signing, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “the most important thing is that, first of all, Israel remains in the security zone in southern Lebanon,” which would remain in place “as long as Hezbollah has not disarmed.”
The Israeli premier said the agreement designated “two pilot zones” on both sides of southern Lebanon’s Litani river to which the Lebanese military would deploy.
“This is also a major blow to Iran,” Netanyahu said. “Iran is trying to coax us to withdraw from southern Lebanon by force. And in essence, Israel, Lebanon and the United States are telling Iran, ‘It is none of your business. You have no role in Lebanon. Neither you, nor Hezbollah, nor any terrorist organization.'”
Why Israel and Hezbollah Are at War
Israel and Hezbollah have been in a state of conflict since the latter intervened in support of the Palestinian Hamas movement’s October 2023 surprise attack against Israel, sparking a regional confrontation also involving Iran and other Axis of Resistance coalition members across the Middle East.
Israel and Hezbollah reached their first major ceasefire in November 2024, following an intensified Israeli campaign that killed the group’s longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who has been replaced by Secretary-General Naim Qassem. Israel continued to strike at Hezbollah, however, as both sides accused one another of violating the truce’s terms by failing to withdraw from designated areas.
Hezbollah reignited cross-border operations after the U.S. and Israel launched a joint war against Iran in February, leading to the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a number of other key figures. Iran exerted its own pressure, however, through retaliatory strikes against Israel and Arab countries hosting U.S. bases as well as its closure of the Strait of Hormuz energy trade chokepoint, bringing Washington and Tehran to the negotiating table.
Among Iran’s core conditions has been a cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, where Netanyahu has insisted that the battle against Hezbollah must go on. He has called repeatedly called on the Lebanese government and its military to step up efforts to disarm Hezbollah, but Lebanese officials have also condemned ongoing Israeli strikes and presence in the country.
Iran, meanwhile, has threatened to resume its closure of the Strait of Hormuz if Israel did not halt operations against Hezbollah.
A U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding signed last Thursday called for a ceasefire in Lebanon, resulting in an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire reached last Saturday. Yet clashes have continued to claim lives, even as Israeli, Lebanese and U.S. officials hailed progress on Friday.
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This story was originally published June 26, 2026 at 5:08 PM.