{"id":131949,"date":"2026-07-06T17:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T15:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=131949"},"modified":"2026-07-06T08:06:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T06:06:40","slug":"09-05-130","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=131949","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Agreement drives a wedge between Iran and Lebanon\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<hr \/>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jns.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"center alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/www.reunion68.com\/Biuletyn\/img\/jns-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"35%\" \/><\/a><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #000080;\"><span><strong><a style=\"color: #000080; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jns.org\/analysis\/agreement-drives-a-wedge-between-iran-and-lebanon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u2018Agreement drives a wedge between Iran and Lebanon\u2019<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Yaakov Lappin<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<hr style=\"height: 15px; background: #d0e6fa; width: 100%;\" \/>\n<div>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>A precedent-setting deal allows the IDF to operate against Hezbollah, but the Lebanese army\u2019s capacity is in doubt, experts tell JNS.<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/static.jns.org\/dims4\/default\/6aee49d\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/3000x1689+0+110\/resize\/1000x563!\/format\/webp\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.jns.org%2F37%2F84%2F0ca01f984e9b9b0be90c02063f3e%2F55359166153-c319f307f4-o.jpg\" width=\"100%\" \/><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><em>U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio participates in a trilateral framework signing ceremony with State Department Counselor Dan Holler, Lebanese Ambassador to the United States Nada Hamadeh Moawad and Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter, between the United States, Lebanon and Israel at the Department of State in Washington, D.C., June 26, 2026. Credit: James Pan\/U.S. State Department.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Israel achieved a substantial strategic gain in the newly signed\u00a0<span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link\" style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jns.org\/news\/israel-news\/idf-chief-hails-lebanon-deal-says-israel-remains-ready-to-resume-war-on-hezbollah-iran\" data-cms-ai=\"0\">trilateral framework<\/a><\/span>\u00a0with Lebanon and the United States by wedging Lebanon away from Iran, yet there is significant doubt over the Lebanese Armed Forces\u2019 ability to implement the deal against Hezbollah in the near future, observers in Israel told JNS.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The trilateral framework was signed on June 26 at the State Department in Washington, D.C., by Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador to the United States Nada Hamadeh Moawad, in a ceremony overseen by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He said the agreement \u201cestablishes a clear and structured process to restore Lebanon\u2019s sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure, and enable Israel to return to its borders once that threat to its citizens is removed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the deal as \u201ca significant achievement\u201d and said Israel \u201cwill remain in the security zone in Southern Lebanon\u201d for as long as Hezbollah remained armed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Professor Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy and the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies, described the agreement as a major Israeli accomplishment on multiple levels.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cThe agreement is a most important Israeli achievement. First, because this is an official declaration by the states regarding respect for sovereignty, the right to security of the citizens in both states, and the pursuit of peace,\u201d Michael told JNS.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">He added, \u201cBut beyond that, this is a precedent-setting agreement in which an Arab state allows the IDF to remain on its territory and to act against a terror organization whose members are citizens of the state, while Israel\u2019s conditions regarding withdrawal from the territory, conditioned on the quality of implementation by the Lebanese army and the pace of progress of Hezbollah\u2019s disarmament, are acceptable to that same Arab state.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Michael argued that the framework\u2019s principal value was in cutting Tehran out. \u201cThe agreement drives a wedge between Iran and Lebanon and disrupts the declared Iranian aspirations to include Lebanon as part of the Memorandum of Understanding with the United States and the conditions regarding an Israeli withdrawal and the threats against Israel,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">He added that Beirut\u2019s alignment with Israel, under American sponsorship and mediation, denied Iran \u201cthe right to intervene in Lebanon, to create a linkage between it and Iran and the Memorandum of Understanding, and in this sense make it very difficult for Iran to support Hezbollah as it would want to, and to use this support as a signal to the rest of the proxies regarding its commitment to defend them, in order to secure the possibility of reviving the ring of fire and the axis of resistance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">On the burden now placed on the Lebanese Armed Forces, Michael was measured about the timeline, stating, \u201cIt is not certain that the Lebanese army will be up to the task, certainly not in the near future, but the IDF will continue to act and to weaken Hezbollah.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">With American and possibly also French and Saudi assistance to the Lebanese army in its arms, force build-up and training, \u201cthe conditions will be prepared for a gradual and responsible transfer of responsibility from the IDF to the Lebanese army,\u201d said Michael. He noted that until then the IDF stays in Southern Lebanon and retains the legitimacy to act against Hezbollah even outside that area should the Iranian-backed terror organization violate the ceasefire or attack Israel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Asked whether the framework effectively forced the Lebanese government to choose between civil war with Hezbollah or admitting it could not uproot the group, Michael said, \u201cThe Lebanese government has already decided by the very act of signing the framework agreement and the public and firm support for the agreement even after signing it,\u201d he said. He assessed that the government did not want a civil war and did not expect one, and that \u201cit feels relatively secure because of the Israeli presence, the American backing and Hezbollah\u2019s weakness at home in Lebanon itself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The restraint that Israel took upon itself because of American pressure is not final, he said, adding that once Hezbollah violates the truce, \u201cI assess that Israel will respond also in Hezbollah\u2019s zones of immunity [north of the security zone].\u201d Michael cautioned that this was a bounded and limited period tied to the U.S.-Iran negotiations, and that \u201cif the negotiations collapse or fail, everything will probably change.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Col. (res.) Dr. Jacques Neriah of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, who is a former deputy head of assessment in IDF Military Intelligence, identified Lebanon\u2019s separation from Iran as the principal gain so far, while stressing the fragility of the momentum.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cThe only advantage so far is the success in separating Lebanon from its inclusion in the Iranian front,\u201d Neriah said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">He tied that success to Beirut\u2019s ability to press ahead against internal opposition, naming the figures arrayed against the deal, and framed the security zone as a double-edged asset that both shielded northern Israeli communities and left IDF troops exposed to Hezbollah attacks because of the American-imposed prohibition on operating beyond the yellow line.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cAt the moment, neither side is interested in a frontal conflict,\u201d Neriah said, in reference to the Lebanese government and Hezbollah. \u201cThe opponents [of the deal] rely on the inability to ratify the agreement in parliament, and are preparing themselves for a future clash. Much has been said about the firing or resignation of the Lebanese Army\u2019s commander, who tends to cooperate with Hezbollah. Under these conditions, one cannot expect full cooperation from him against Hezbollah.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Neriah concluded that the war has compelled Israel to adopt a new strategy based on strategic depth inside enemy territory.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">In a separate briefing hosted by the Jerusalem Press Club on June 28, 2026, addressing the trilateral framework and the recent U.S.-Iran military exchanges, Neriah said that the Lebanese army lacked the capacity to deal with Hezbollah in the event of a full Israeli withdrawal, which is why the sides adopted a gradual approach beginning with two pilot areas in the northeastern part of the security belt.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">He located the core obstacle in the army\u2019s sectarian composition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cRight now the Lebanese army, as you know, 60% of it is Shi\u2019ite, it has a Shi\u2019ite component. And it\u2019s quite difficult to imagine that Shi\u2019ites would be fighting other Shi\u2019ites in Lebanon,\u201d Neriah said, warning that using Shi\u2019ite units against other Shi\u2019ites would bring \u201ctotal disaster\u201d while using Christian or other units would lead to \u201ca bloodbath between the parties, as usual happens in Lebanon.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/static.jns.org\/dims4\/default\/c73a489\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1320x1320+0+0\/resize\/100x100!\/format\/webp\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fk2-prod-jns-prod.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F09%2FYaakov-Lappin-cropped-1.jpg\" alt=\"Yaakov Lappin\" \/><\/span><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><em><strong>Yaakov Lappin<\/strong> is an Israel-based military affairs correspondent and analyst. He is the in-house analyst at the Miryam Institute; a research associate at the Alma Research and Education Center; and a research associate at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University. He is a frequent guest commentator on international television news networks, including Sky News\u00a0and\u00a0i24 News. Lappin is the author of\u00a0Virtual Caliphate: Exposing the Islamist State on the Internet. Follow him at:\u00a0www.patreon.com\/yaakovlappin.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<hr style=\"height: 15px; background: #d0e6fa; width: 100%;\" \/>\n<div id=\"content\" class=\"content-alignment\">\n<div id=\"watch-description\" class=\"yt-uix-button-panel\">\n<div id=\"watch-description-text\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p><em>Zawarto\u015b\u0107 publikowanych artyku\u0142\u00f3w i materia\u0142\u00f3w nie reprezentuje pogl\u0105d\u00f3w ani opinii Reunion&#8217;68,<\/em><em><br \/>\nani te\u017c webmastera Blogu Reunion&#8217;68, chyba ze jest to wyra\u017anie zaznaczone.<br \/>\nTwoje uwagi, linki, w\u0142asne artyku\u0142y lub wiadomo\u015bci prze\u015blij na adres:<br \/>\n<\/em><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong><em><a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"mailto:webmaster@reunion68.com\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">webmaster@reunion68.com<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr style=\"width: 100%;\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2018Agreement drives a wedge between Iran and Lebanon\u2019 Yaakov Lappin A precedent-setting deal allows the IDF to operate against Hezbollah, but the Lebanese army\u2019s capacity is in doubt, experts tell JNS. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio participates in a trilateral framework signing ceremony with State Department Counselor Dan Holler, Lebanese Ambassador to the United [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[33,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131949"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=131949"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131949\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":131964,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131949\/revisions\/131964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=131949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=131949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=131949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}