President Joseph Aoun has declared he will not retreat from the decision to negotiate directly with Israel, framing the US-sponsored framework agreement as the sole diplomatic avenue to secure an Israeli withdrawal from the south, the return of prisoners and the remains of the dead, and reconstruction. In remarks to journalists and political delegations, Aoun described the accord as “the best possible under the reality of occupation,” while conceding it is not ideal and carries a 50 percent chance of success. He stressed that the war option had been tried and had failed to restore occupied land or return the displaced to their homes, and that the United States, as guarantor, must now be pressed to compel adherence.

Hezbollah’s leadership has categorically rejected the framework. Secretary-General Naim Qassem issued a statement calling it “null and void” and vowing to continue armed resistance. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, warned the agreement could split the country and would not be implemented. Aoun dismissed the criticism, asserting that opponents of the process “want to return the Lebanese file to being a tool in Iran’s hands.” He added that as long as Hezbollah’s allegiance remains Iranian, there will be no progress, and that the party’s weapons can only be addressed when its choice becomes Lebanese. He said he would tell US President Donald Trump during an upcoming White House visit that resolving the issue of Hezbollah’s arms must be an internal Lebanese process, embedded in a comprehensive social, economic and security strategy, rather than a foreign-imposed disarmament.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, after meeting Aoun, backed the president’s course, stating that “we have no alternative but negotiations” and that the state alone must decide such matters, not Hezbollah. Geagea described the parallel Islamabad track between Washington and Tehran as unrelated to Lebanese interests and merely an Iranian attempt to preserve influence. Aoun himself revealed that he had dispatched a Christian envoy to Iran to convey condolences on the death of the Supreme Leader and to insist that bilateral ties be conducted state-to-state, asking plainly what path Tehran expected Beirut to follow after a devastating war.

On the ground, Aoun and army commander General Rodolph Haykal reviewed preparations for the pilot areas from which the Lebanese army is to deploy concurrently with an Israeli pullback, though the president noted that statements from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard had previously disrupted the initiative. He expressed cautious optimism about positive steps in the coming week, while warning that regional tensions could rebound on Lebanon. Aoun’s visit to Washington is now the next concrete step, where he intends to argue that American credibility is at stake in implementing the framework and to press for greater US engagement to overcome Israeli obstacles.