An Israeli drone strike killed at least one person and wounded two others in the southern Lebanese town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa on Saturday, Lebanon’s health ministry said, just one day after the two countries signed a United States-brokered framework accord in Washington intended to pave the way for a lasting peace. The Israeli military confirmed the strike, saying it targeted an individual posing a threat to its forces, while Lebanese state media reported further strikes in the area.

The four-point framework, hammered out over five rounds of talks and signed on Friday, provides for an Israeli withdrawal from the South Litani area and the deployment of the Lebanese army, but also explicitly permits Israeli forces to remain in an expanded security zone up to 10km inside Lebanese territory and links any further redeployment to the verified disarmament of Hezbollah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the deal “historic” and “a blow to Iran and Hezbollah,” and Defence Minister Israel Katz later instructed troops to “prepare for an extended stay” in the security zone, stating that Israel would not withdraw until the Iran-backed militant group is disarmed throughout Lebanon. Far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir denounced the accord as a mistake, arguing that only Israeli forces could disarm Hezbollah.

Hezbollah, which was not party to the negotiations, rejected the agreement outright. Leader Naim Qassem described it as “humiliating, shameful, and a surrender of sovereignty,” declared it “null and void,” and accused the Lebanese government of a “grave blunder” that could lead to the annexation of southern lands. He insisted that the Iran-US memorandum of understanding, which he said guarantees Lebanon’s territorial integrity, should form the basis for ending hostilities. The Amal movement, led by Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri, also criticised the framework as unbalanced. Hezbollah supporters protested in Beirut on Friday night, and the Lebanese military pledged to maintain public order. By contrast, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun described the agreement as a “first step” toward restoring sovereignty, while the Lebanese ambassador in Washington called it the beginning of the path to restoring territorial integrity.

Lebanon was drawn into the regional war on 2 March when Hezbollah launched missiles at Israel in retaliation for a strike that killed Iran’s supreme leader. Israel responded with a devastating air and ground campaign; Lebanese authorities report at least 4,192 killed and more than 1.2 million displaced. A previous ceasefire on 16 April collapsed, and violence has ebbed only since the US-Iran memorandum was reached last week. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged that “still there is much work ahead” and that the difficulty of the task was not being underestimated. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the accord, and France declared its readiness to contribute to implementation.

The dossier now rests on the fragile premise of pilot zones from which Israeli forces would withdraw first, with the Lebanese army assuming exclusive control pending broader disarmament. However, with Hezbollah vowing to continue armed resistance and Israel signalling a prolonged military presence, the framework’s near-term viability appears contingent on external enforcement mechanisms that remain undefined.