Lead:

Lebanon and Israel signed a framework agreement in Washington on Friday, following four days of intensive negotiations conducted at the U.S. State Department and Pentagon. Brokered under the auspices of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the accord aims to establish the conditions for a full Israeli military withdrawal from southern Lebanon and outlines a security annex governing the process. The agreement has generated immediate and deeply polarized reactions across Lebanon's political and religious landscape.

Details:

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam both issued celebratory statements following the signing. Al-Nahar reported that Salam described the achievement of an Israeli withdrawal as "the primary objective" of the framework, expressing hope for the moment Israel begins its pullback. Army Commander General Rudolf Haikal, who recently concluded a two-day visit to the United Kingdom to secure support for Lebanese Armed Forces deployment in the south, was cited by multiple outlets as a central figure in shaping Lebanon's negotiating posture in Washington.

Opposition to the agreement was swift and vocal. Hizbullah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem issued a statement rejecting the accord, calling it a surrender of sovereignty and a reward for Israel. Al-Akhbar reported that Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri warned in a brief statement: "It is sedition," urging the Lebanese public not to be drawn into internal strife. Members of Hizbullah's parliamentary bloc, including MPs Muhammad Raad, Hussayn al-Hajj Hassan, Ihab Hamada, and Amin Shri, each issued separate rejections, with Shri telling Al-Jazeera that the framework is "not binding" on the party. Protests erupted Friday night in Beirut's southern suburbs, as supporters of Hizbullah took to the streets in opposition to the accord, prompting Lebanon's Appellate Public Prosecutor Judge Ahmad Rami al-Hajj to issue a judicial directive to security forces to prevent riots.

Reactions from other political quarters were more nuanced. Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Gibran Bassil wrote on X that the agreement carries both risk and potential, warning it is "dangerous if it leads to sectarian discord" but "beneficial if it restores Lebanon's full rights." MP Sami Gemayel congratulated President Aoun and Prime Minister Salam, while noting that "the real challenge begins with implementation." Haaretz reported that the agreement conditions Israel's withdrawal on the progressive development of the Lebanese Army's capacity to confront Hizbullah. Externally, UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan each contacted Lebanese officials to express support for Lebanese sovereignty.

Watch For:

Whether the Lebanese parliament moves to formally endorse or challenge the framework agreement, given Hizbullah's declared refusal to recognize it.

Whether Israel's government, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement that no withdrawal will occur before Hizbullah is fully disarmed, will comply with the withdrawal timeline envisaged in the accord.

Whether the street protests and the sharply divided political climate escalate into broader internal instability, a risk explicitly flagged by both Speaker Berri and the Murabitun movement.