Lebanese foreign minister hails framework deal with Israel as ‘victory for diplomacy’

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi on Saturday described the framework agreement signed with Israel as a victory for diplomacy, Anadolu reports.

During a phone call with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi, Raggi thanked Amman for its support, saying the US-brokered agreement “marks a victory for diplomacy and for the authority of the state and its institutions above all else,” according to the Lebanese Foreign Ministry.

For his part, Safadi expressed hope that the agreement would serve Lebanon and its people while helping “restore stability, reinforce the state’s sovereignty over its entire territory, and enable Lebanon to live in peace and security,” the ministry said.

In a separate statement, Jordan’s Foreign Ministry said Safadi described the agreement as “an important step” toward supporting Lebanon’s security and stability and enabling the country to extend its sovereignty across all of its territory.

The remarks came as Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem rejected the agreement, describing it in a statement on Saturday as “humiliating and nonexistent,” while calling for a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in accordance with the US-Iran memorandum of understanding.

The US-brokered framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel was signed on June 26, concluding the fifth round of direct negotiations hosted by Washington that focused on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from parts of southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army.

According to the 14-point framework published by Lebanon’s National News Agency, the Lebanese Armed Forces will gradually assume full and effective security responsibility in “pilot areas” evacuated by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.

Since March 2, 2026, Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon has killed 4,243 people, injured 12,186 others, and displaced more than 1 million people, according to official Lebanese figures.

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