Lebanese President Joseph Aoun praised the signing of a trilateral agreement between the US, Lebanon, and Israel as “the first step on the path to restoring Lebanon's sovereignty” in a post on X/Twitter on Friday after the framework was signed in Washington.
The agreement is aimed at disarming and dismantling the Iran-backed terrorist organization Hezbollah, in addition to enabling the IDF to withdraw from Lebanon once the threat posed by Hezbollah is removed.
Aoun thanked US President Donald Trump and American officials for hosting the Israel-Lebanon talks and for their support in reaching the agreement. Aoun also extended his gratitude to Lebanon’s delegation for their efforts in the negotiations.
Aoun described the agreement as the beginning of a road to bring about freedom and dignity to the people of Lebanon, “who sacrificed, endured, and confronted the harshest conditions.”
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam responded to the agreement signed between Israel and Lebanon in Washington on Friday, saying that the framework required a full Israeli withdrawal from all Lebanese territory.
Salam added that the agreement obligates Lebanon to extend state authority over the country's territory through its armed forces.
Hezbollah reacts to agreement
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said Lebanese authorities would not be able to enforce a framework agreement signed with Israel in Washington on Friday unless, with US support, "they go to civil war," Al Mayadeen reported on Friday, after talks aimed at ending fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed group.