At a time when there are increasing indications that an understanding between the United States and Iran may be signed within days, Lebanon has returned to the forefront of regional tension with the escalation of debate over whether it will be included in the expected memorandum of understanding, amid Iranian insistence on considering stopping the war in Lebanon as part of any agreement, in exchange for a categorical Israeli rejection of any formula that links the arenas or restricts the freedom of action of the Israeli army.
According to a report by journalists Itamar Eichner and Lior Ben Ari in the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, a drone exploded in northern Israel on Friday evening, coinciding with increasing questions about Lebanon’s position in the emerging agreement between Washington and Tehran.
In this context, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that “ending the war in Lebanon means Israel’s withdrawal from the lands it occupied,” in a position that Israel directly rejected.
The newspaper quoted Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz as saying that Israel will not withdraw from the security areas in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, stressing that the Israeli army will continue to defend Israel’s borders and its citizens from its positions in Mount Hermon, the Lebanese mountains, parts of the West Bank and most of the Gaza Strip, considering that this policy represents one of the basic lessons learned from the October 7 attack.
According to the information possessed by Israel, the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran includes a clause related to “ending hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon.” Israeli circles believe that this text may be interpreted as a “unification of fronts,” but Israel insists that the agreement will not restrict the operations of the Israeli army, and that it will oppose any formula of this kind, especially if it includes a withdrawal from the areas it controlled in southern Lebanon.
The newspaper quoted an Israeli security official as saying that the Israeli army will continue to “dismantle Hezbollah” in southern Lebanon and destroy its infrastructure.
On Friday morning, Iranian news agencies close to the state published 14 items that they said formed part of the ongoing agreement between Washington and Tehran, the first of which stated: “An immediate and permanent cessation of the war on all fronts, including Lebanon.”
However, US President Donald Trump attacked these reports and described them as “false,” but Iranian officials and representatives of Hezbollah continued to assert that Lebanon is part of the agreement and that Israel is required to withdraw from the areas it controls.
From the Israeli point of view, withdrawal from the positions it controls inside Lebanon is not currently on the table. Official circles also confirm that there is no agreement yet between Israel and Lebanon, and that it is too early to know how any American-Iranian understanding will be reflected in the negotiations between Beirut and Tel Aviv.
Israel presents two contradictory possibilities: the first is that the agreement will lead to a hardening of Hezbollah’s position and its refusal to withdraw from southern Lebanon, and the second is that Iran will push the party to retreat north of the Litani River with the aim of reorganizing its ranks. Israel believes that the party’s continued presence south of the Litani means the continuation of the war.
The Israeli sources add that if an agreement is reached in the future between Israel and Lebanon, and the Lebanese army takes control of the areas in question and removes the military structures located there, Israel may consider withdrawing from them gradually and conditionally, but such a step is not on the table at the present time.
Israeli officials stressed, “If Hezbollah fires on Israel, we will bomb the southern suburb, and then we will see what the Iranians will do,” adding: “If they respond, we will strike. We will not accept any equations or unification of fronts. The Israeli army enjoys freedom to operate inside Lebanon to confront any emerging threats.”
At the same time, Israeli authorities expressed their fear that the United States would put pressure on Tel Aviv to exercise restraint in Lebanon so that the agreement with Iran would not be jeopardized, which could open the door to discrepancies with Washington.
On the field, the situation remained tense. Sirens sounded on Saturday morning in Metulla and Misgav Am due to suspected infiltration of a hostile air target, while Al-Mayadeen TV reported Israeli raids targeting the towns of Kafour, Maarakeh and Srifa in southern Lebanon.
Shortly before that, sirens sounded in Adamit and Arab Aramsha due to suspected drone infiltration. The Israeli army later announced that a “suspicious air target” exploded inside Israeli territory near the Lebanese border.
The Israeli army also indicated that it intercepted another air target in an area where its forces operate inside southern Lebanon, after sirens sounded in Manara and Margaliot, while the towns of Shlomi, Pitist, and Rosh HaNikra witnessed similar warnings earlier.
In parallel, the Israeli army announced that it had recently assassinated 10 Hezbollah field commanders in different regions of Lebanon, adding that more than 1,300 members of the party had been killed since the ceasefire entered into force.
For its part, Hezbollah adhered to the Iranian position. Member of the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc, MP Hussein Haj Hassan, said in an interview with Al Jazeera: “Iran informed us clearly that Lebanon is included in the ceasefire. Iranian officials also informed us that Israel will withdraw from Lebanese territory in accordance with the agreement.”
He added: “Under no circumstances will we accept a return to what was before March 2, 2026. Israel has no right to remain on our land. Israel and the United States are first required to adhere to the agreement because they are turning against it, and Hezbollah cannot make any commitment if the enemy does not comply.”
Between Tehran’s insistence on including Lebanon in any regional understanding, and Israel’s categorical rejection of any equation that links the arenas or limits its military operations, it seems that the Lebanese arena is still one of the most sensitive files in the period after the expected US-Iranian agreement.
