BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Thursday that a joint statement from the fourth round of US-brokered Lebanese-Israeli talks carried “highly significant points in Lebanon’s favor, and amounts to the final opportunity to move into a definitive and comprehensive ceasefire; on the understanding that each party will shoulder the responsibility if it fails to respond.”
A Lebanese official confirmed to Arab News that the president was waiting for Hezbollah’s response, expected to arrive via Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
“All parties have been informed of the outcome of the negotiating session,” the official said. “What was issued is not a ceasefire agreement. It is a statement, one whose contents and conditions Israel has accepted in full. What remains is Hezbollah’s answer.”
Once that answer came, the official added, Washington would be informed and next steps determined.
Speaking informally to reporters at Baabda Palace, Aoun said that Washington would “determine the timing and the mechanism for putting the ceasefire into effect, which could begin 24 hours after it is notified of approval and once the necessary guarantees are provided.” US President Donald Trump would serve as the direct guarantor of implementation.
The president said that “the Lebanese negotiating delegation, headed by Ambassador Simon Karam, held its ground throughout the two sessions convened over the past two days.”
Wednesday’s session was tough — Karam was driven to suspend the round and insisted on refusing to take up any other matter until a comprehensive ceasefire had been settled. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was brought in to revive the talks, which concluded by accepting the Lebanese demand for a comprehensive ceasefire.
Aoun said that “from Wednesday morning until the small hours of Thursday, we stayed in contact with international and domestic actors to lock in the comprehensive ceasefire, and a number of sister and friendly states also played a role in applying pressure on Lebanon’s behalf.”
The joint Lebanese-Israeli statement, released at dawn on Thursday Beirut time, sets out that “both Israel and Lebanon have, under American sponsorship, agreed to implement a ceasefire. Its entry into force is contingent on a full cessation of fire by Hezbollah and the withdrawal of all its personnel from the area south of the Litani. Hezbollah must also allow the rapid establishment of pilot zones where the Lebanese Armed Forces — and only the Lebanese Armed Forces — hold exclusive control over the territory, with every non-state armed actor removed from the picture.”
Israel said that “its security and respect for its territorial integrity can only be achieved through the disarmament of Hezbollah and the dismantling of its infrastructure throughout Lebanon.”
Meanwhile, Lebanon stressed “the necessity of mutual respect for internationally recognized borders and the urgent need for the full implementation of the cessation of hostilities, emphasizing the principles of territorial integrity and full state sovereignty.” Lebanon committed to enhancing the capabilities of the Lebanese Armed Forces, with US support, to assert effective control throughout the country.
All parties said that “the future of the relationship between Israel and Lebanon must be exclusively decided by the two sovereign governments.” They rejected any attempt, by any state or non-state actor, to hold Lebanon’s future hostage.
According to the statement, “Israel and Lebanon reaffirmed that they have no hostile intent toward one another and committed to continuing direct negotiations to build confidence, resolve all outstanding issues, and work toward a comprehensive agreement between the two countries.”
Meanwhile, the US reiterated its “ongoing support for both governments to exercise their sovereignty.” It said that “any agreement to cease hostilities must be reached directly between the two governments, brokered by the US, and not through any separate track.”
The US further underscored its intent to “support the Lebanese Armed Forces, with the aim of improving their capacity and enabling the effective exercise of sovereignty throughout Lebanese territory.”
Speaking to journalists on Thursday, President Aoun said that “Lebanon suggested beginning the implementation of ‘pilot zones’ in the towns of Zawtar Al-Sharqiya, Zawtar Al-Gharbiya, Yahmar and the area surrounding Beaufort Castle (Qalaat Al-Shaqif), occupied last week by Israel, due to their symbolic significance and proximity to the city of Nabatieh.”
Aoun emphasized “the great importance of the understanding reached in Washington for the benefit of Lebanon and the region. It represents a genuine opportunity to shift from escalation to stability. The success of this process depends on clear commitment from all parties concerned and the full implementation of the agreed measures. The Lebanese state entered these negotiations with a strong sense of national responsibility. The main objective was to protect Lebanon, guarantee the security of its citizens, and uphold stability. Everyone must approach recent developments with a sense of national responsibility and seize this opportunity to reinforce security and stability across the country.”
Aoun also said that the US played a mediator and pivotal role in these negotiations, helping to bring the parties “closer to an agreement through a firm approach and sustained efforts to bridge differences.”
The Lebanese president added that “this agreement differs from the one reached on November 27, 2024, not only in its substance but also in the political context surrounding it, which enhances its prospects for durability and success. That much now hinges on the role of US President Donald Trump and his administration in securing the guarantees needed to solidify the agreement and ensure compliance by all parties.”
Meanwhile, Israeli forces withdrew from the town of Dibbin in the Marjayoun district, south of the Litani River, during the morning, while the Lebanese Army announced its deployment at the town’s junction later in the afternoon.
A Lebanese military source told Arab News that “following the Israeli withdrawal from Dibbin, the Lebanese Army removed roadblocks, reopened access to the town, and began clearing military obstructions from the area.”
As to whether the entry into the town was based on a clear Israeli withdrawal timetable, the military source said: “There is no withdrawal timetable.”
The military source confirmed that the Lebanese Army remained deployed south of the Litani River wherever there was no Israeli army presence, whether in Hasbaya, Marjayoun, or even the city of Tyre.
On the possibility of implementing pilot zones and the timing of such a move, the source said: “The Army Command has not been informed of anything in this regard so far.”
The term “pilot zone” emerged as a gradual implementation mechanism aimed at dismantling security deadlocks that are geographically and politically entrenched. However, its application in Lebanon may run up against the realities of Lebanon’s complex field conditions.
A Lebanese military source considered the adoption of this term to be one that “reduces the likelihood of comprehensive failure, as it focuses on testing a specific and limited geographical area in the sector south of the Litani River, serving as a laboratory to assess the extent of the parties’ commitment and the seriousness of the guarantees.”
The source explained that the arrangements assumed that “the Israeli army would withdraw completely, while units of the Lebanese Armed Forces would move in and assume exclusive military, security and administrative control. No parallel authority or weapons outside the framework of the state’s official legitimacy would be permitted. This means the removal of all Hezbollah elements from the area, the dismantling of the party’s infrastructure, and preventing its re-establishment, so that the area becomes entirely demilitarized of any military presence not affiliated with the sovereign government.”
In a speech on Thursday afternoon, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said that “the outcome of the absurd, humiliating and disgraceful direct negotiations is reflected in the Washington announcement, which outlines the fundamental principles through which the US and Israel envision Lebanon’s submission to the Greater Israel project.”
Qassem said that “the outcome of the negotiations is rejected in its entirety by broad segments of the Lebanese people.”
Mahmoud Qamati, deputy head of Hezbollah’s political council, announced Hezbollah’s rejection of “any partial agreements or security trade-off formulas.”
Qamati said that “the pilot zones and disarmament project constitutes a strategic retreat.”
While Hezbollah insists on the condition of a complete Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, the Lebanese negotiator, according to the official source, believes that “Lebanon sees pilot zones as an opportunity to secure gradual Israeli withdrawals and restore sovereignty over certain sectors.”
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Israeli Army told Lebanese citizens not to head south of the Zahrani River “for your own safety.” It also continued targeting vehicles and individuals deep inside southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese and Israeli sides are scheduled to hold a new round of negotiations on June 22, “with a view toward reaching a comprehensive agreement. The US agreed to continue facilitating communication between the parties in the interim,” according to the joint statement.
