Lead:

The Lebanon-Israel framework agreement, brokered under American auspices in Washington, has emerged as the dominant fault line in Lebanese politics, with U.S. Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper's visit to Beirut marking the first concrete step toward implementation. The visit has simultaneously energized supporters of the deal and sharpened opposition from the Shia Duo — Hezbollah and the Amal Movement — while drawing divergent reactions from regional and international actors, exposing deep divisions within Lebanon's political establishment.

Details:

Al-Markazia reports that Cooper delivered a detailed roadmap for executing the provisions of the Washington memorandum, meeting with the Lebanese presidency, though without establishing fixed timelines for implementation. According to Al-Markazia, political sources observed that Washington's swift dispatch of a senior military commander to Beirut has significantly weakened the capacity of the agreement's opponents to mount effective resistance, signaling that what was signed in Washington carries irreversible momentum that cannot be undone through intimidation or accusations of treason — vocabulary long employed, the source noted, by the so-called Axis of Resistance when facing political setbacks.

Al-Addiyar and Al-Akhbar both report that Hezbollah MP Hussein al-Hajj Hassan categorically rejected the agreement, calling it "a disgrace, a surrender, and an act of humiliation," vowing that it would not pass. Meanwhile, Speaker Nabih Biri summarized his own position with the phrase "as if nothing happened," signaling Amal's refusal to treat the agreement as an established fact. Al-Addiyar further notes, however, that both Amal and Hezbollah worked actively to restrain their constituencies from taking to the streets, with Biri personally conducting a series of phone calls to prevent public demonstrations from gaining scale — a notable divergence in tactics between the two allies.

Al-Nahar reports that France's position on the framework agreement is a blend of cautious approval and reservations, as Paris prepares for a diplomatically intensive week that includes President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Damascus. On the regional front, Syrian Foreign Minister Asad al-Shaybani is expected in Beirut on Thursday as part of what sources describe as the "al-Sharaa Initiative," with planned meetings encompassing Lebanon's three presidents and senior religious authorities. Al-Addiyar also notes that Egypt has conveyed dissatisfaction with the agreement to Speaker Biri through Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, as Biri conducts a broad Arab diplomatic outreach to contain its effects. The UAE's decision to lift its travel ban on Lebanon was welcomed by Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji as a gesture of confidence in Lebanon's restored political and security sovereignty.

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