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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has welcomed the newly announced US-mediated framework agreement with Lebanon as a turning point that effectively sidelines Tehran, calling it a "massive blow to Iran and Hezbollah."
Addressing a press conference on Saturday, the PM Netanyahu thanked the US leadership for mediating the agreement and also extended greetings to the Lebanese government and public for showing "great courage." He also hailed the Israeli Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, for truthfully representing Israel's expectations from the accord. In a post on X, the Israeli PM shared his address and wrote, "Dear citizens of Israel, yesterday before the start of the Sabbath, we achieved a historic accomplishment for the State of Israel. Following direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, mediated by the US, we have reached a framework of understandings that allows us to move forward toward ending the conflict, and, G-d willing, eventually reaching a peace agreement between the two countries." "I thank President Trump and Secretary of State Rubio for their involvement, their contribution, and for achieving these understandings. I thank the government of Lebanon and the people of Lebanon; they showed great courage. I thank Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, and our team, they faithfully represented Israel in the talks," he added. Netanyahu further argued that the agreement sends a clear message that Iran has no role in the future of Lebanon's security. He emphasised that the deal was secured precisely because Israel crippled Hezbollah's military capabilities and pressured Iran directly, rendering the "axis of terror" unable to intervene or assist its proxies. Under the terms of the understanding, Israel will maintain a security zone within Lebanon, which the Prime Minister stated will remain under Israeli control until the disarmament of terrorist organisations is complete and threats to the northern border are neutralised. "Under these understandings, the US and Lebanon have recognised Israel's right to maintain the security zone inside Lebanon for as long as it is required for our security. We will continue to hold it until Hezbollah and the rest of the terrorist organizations are disarmed, and until no further threat to Israel is posed from Lebanon. I want you to know - this is a massive blow to Iran and Hezbollah," he said. "We are breaking the Iranian axis of terror, but we are also breaking the Iranian diplomatic axis. We managed to reach this framework of understandings for a simple reason: Because we struck Hezbollah hard. And Hezbollah, which expected assistance from Iran, did not receive it, because we struck Iran hard. All of this was done thanks to the heroism of our fighters, and also thanks to the wise and courageous decisions we made," he added. He further framed that the key component of the deal, a pilot program in two specific zones near the "Yellow Line," as a refusal to succumb to demands for a forced withdrawal, asserting that the agreement validates Israel's refusal to accept any Iranian-backed interference. "Israel and Lebanon have agreed on two adjacent areas near the Yellow Line, recommended by the IDF, where there will be a pilot program for disarming Hezbollah and transferring the territory to the control of the Lebanese army. This is a tremendous achievement, because what were they trying to do? They tried to get us out of there through all kinds of means and pressures. That, of course, will not happen," he noted. The Prime Minister underscored the military successes that set the stage for this diplomatic breakthrough, claiming the destruction of approximately 90 per cent of Hezbollah's vast missile arsenal and the elimination of over 9,000 fighters since the conflict began. He cited the recent elimination of top leadership and the dismantling of subterranean tunnels and bunkers as evidence of the campaign's success. "I want to remind you of what the situation was in Lebanon: Hezbollah had 150,000 missiles and rockets, and we eliminated about 90 percent of this vast arsenal. We astonished them with the pagers, we eliminated Nasrallah, and we eliminated the commanders of the Radwan Force. In the last two weeks alone, we eliminated over 200 terrorists, and since the beginning of the war, over 9,000 Hezbollah terrorists! We took control of the Beaufort and we are staying in the Beaufort; we took control of the Ali Taher ridge, and of Bint Jbeil - they are under our control. We are eliminating their terrorist infrastructure throughout the entire area, in the entire Yellow Zone; we are simply wiping out the terrorist infrastructure. There are bunkers there, there are tunnels there, there are terrorist villages there; we are wiping the, all out. We are not done yet, we still have work to do, especially regarding the global problem of explosive drones, and in this too, we will be the first in the world to find a solution," he said. While acknowledging that there is still work to be done regarding technological threats like explosive drones, he presented the agreement as the precursor to a broader restoration project for northern Israel. Netanyahu pledged a financial package of 20 billion shekels to revitalize the region, drawing a parallel to the prosperity currently seen in the western Negev. "But what is clear is one thing: There is a historic achievement here. This agreement strengthens Israel and Lebanon, and weakens Iran and Hezbollah. And G-d willing, this is a sign of things to come. We will continue to do everything necessary to restore security to the residents of the North, just as we successfully did in the South. We did it once again thanks to the heroism of the fighters and commanders, and also thanks to your steadfast resilience, residents of the North," he said. "We are bringing you not only security assistance, but also over 20 billion shekels to restore prosperity to the North. This is what I want to see: A quiet border between us and Lebanon, a border of peace. And in the North, I want to see security, peace, and prosperity. What happened in the South, which is currently prospering in the western Negev, will also happen in the North. This is my goal, and with your help and G-d's help, we will achieve it," he added. https://x.com/IsraeliPM/status/2070947573808984153?s=20 The trilateral framework agreement by the United States, Israel and Lebanon, concluded after several days of intense deliberations in Washington, represents a major breakthrough aimed at ceasing hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, though officials from both sides termed it merely an initial step towards a wider settlement. (ANI)
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