Secretary Rubio Brokers Peace Agreement Between Israel and Lebanon

Peloni:  Disarming a terrorist organization by an state armed force which has been complicit in protecting that terrorist organization for decades seems to be something of a forced comedy routine.  Yet when it is linked to the hand over of lands which have been seized as part of a security operation to protect Israel’s Northern communities, this comedy routine becomes rather a dangerous undertaking.  The LAF, UNIFIL and the Lebanese govt, have all acted to shield Hezbollah over the years, with the LAF and the Lebanese govt most recently claiming that they had disarmed Hezbollah as recently as this past January.  Yet, we should believe the sincerity of this too often played charade which is openly tied to the US linkage of preserving Hezbollah so as to satisfy the demands of their Iranian partners to keep the masquerade of negotiations over the summer from going bust.  Forgive me if I raise an objection to the credulity of any of this.  As was seen in Oslo, forcing terrorists and their associates into binding agreements does not bring peace.  As Hezbollah’s associates, the LAF can not be trusted to disarm Hezbollah in earnest, and turning over one pot hole to the LAF only assures Hezbollah that they can and will return to arm and occupy that pot hole at their own discretion. The LAF can’t disarm Hezbollah, the internation community won’t disarm Hezbollah, and Israel is religiously prevented from any attempt to react to these realities by meaningless agreements as staged as the photo below for public consumption to pretend that the lipstic rather than the pig is what we are being asked to marry.

By Pamela Geller | June 27, 2026

Signing of a framework agreement at the State Department.  From left: Israel’s Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, counselor Dan Holler, and Lebanon’s Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others standing behind them. Friday, June 26, 2026, in Washington.Screengrab via Youtube

Israel, Lebanon, and the United States have signed a framework agreement that begins a limited, conditions-based Israeli withdrawal from parts of southern Lebanon—but only after the IDF has destroyed Hezbollah’s terror infrastructure.

Israel made one thing unmistakably clear: there will be no full withdrawal, no reconstruction, and no return to business as usual until Hezbollah is disarmed. The IDF will maintain its security buffer zone, and every additional withdrawal will depend on the Lebanese Army proving it can dismantle Hezbollah and secure the border.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the deal “the beginning of the beginning,” announcing a U.S.-led military coordination group along with $100 million in humanitarian aid and over $30 million for the Lebanese Armed Forces.

The real test isn’t signing a piece of paper. It’s whether Lebanon finally dismantles the Iranian terror army that has held the country hostage for decades.

Israel made clear that Lebanon’s reconstruction will not begin until Hezbollah is disarmed.

Of course the Hezb’Allah nazis violently protested the peace agreement further proving Israel’s point.

Israel and Lebanon ink framework deal for minor IDF withdrawal, after 4 days of DC talks

After US-Iran MOU almost derailed talks last week, Israel agrees to pull out of two areas beyond south Lebanon buffer zone; Rubio hails ‘beginning of the beginning’ of road to peace

By Jacob Magid, Times of Israel, June 27, 2026:

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others watch, seated from left, Israel’s Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, counselor Dan Holler, and Lebanon’s Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh, sign a framework agreement at the State Department, Friday, June 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others watch, seated from left, Israel’s Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, counselor Dan Holler, and Lebanon’s Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh, sign a framework agreement at the State Department, Friday, June 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Israel, Lebanon and the US reached an agreement Friday that will see the Israel Defense Forces begin to withdraw from small parts of southern Lebanon, amid the ongoing fighting between the Jewish state and the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group.

The framework deal was reached on the fourth day of the fifth round of talks that the US has mediated between Israel and Lebanon in Washington, beginning in April. The latest round of fighting in the country kicked off when Hezbollah attacked Israel on March 2, in support of Iran, with several truces declared since then quickly unraveling.

The areas to be withdrawn from have already been cleared by the IDF of Hezbollah infrastructure. In some cases, this has included Israel razing entire Lebanese villages to the ground on the border, with the IDF arguing that Hezbollah was using much of them to plan and carry out attacks against Israel.

Keep Watching

Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter said Israel will maintain its buffer zone in southern Lebanon until the Lebanese Armed Forces demonstrate that they can dismantle Hezbollah and assume responsibility for security.

Leiter stressed that the deal will not be based on a fixed timetable, but on measurable progress by the Lebanese army in disarming Hezbollah.

Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
Newsletter email address
Your email
Get it
By signing up, you agree to the terms
Additional “pilot” handovers from the IDF to the LAF will take place as benchmarks are met, he said.

Israel’s Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter speaks during a signing of a framework agreement, described as a first step toward peace, following months of conflict between Israel and the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, at the US State Department on June 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Asked whether Gulf states, France, Italy, or other international partners would be used to help secure southern Lebanon, Leiter said it was too early to discuss that idea.

He said other countries could take part in Lebanon’s reconstruction, but only after Hezbollah has been disarmed.

Rubio: Framework is ‘beginning of the beginning’

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a statement declaring the creation of a “trilateral Military Coordination Group for Lebanon (MCG4L), facilitated by the United States” that will implement the agreement, also announced an “immediate” $100 million donation by the US toward humanitarian assistance in coordination with the UN.

He also said the US Defense Department was “prepared to reimburse the Lebanese Armed Forces with more than $30 million under existing authorities and appropriations to support the president’s vision for an enduring peace in Lebanon.”

At the signing ceremony at the State Department in Washington, Rubio appeared to acknowledge the limited scope of the agreement, calling it “the beginning of the beginning.”

“There’s a lot of work ahead. We don’t in any way underestimate the difficulty of the task ahead, but we understand the importance of it, how vital it is, and we are honored to have played a part in bringing this together,” he said, before going on to praise the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the US, who headed their countries’ respective negotiating teams.

Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh called the “trilateral framework…the 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.”

“This was a long and difficult meeting. We are grateful to the host and to the two delegations for their cooperation during these talks,” she added, in an apparent nod to Israel.

Continued…..