Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has pledged to extend the authority of the Lebanese Armed Forces to the country’s southern border with Israel.
Aoun met with US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper on Monday, reaffirming what the Lebanese presidency described as “the Lebanese state’s determination to extend its authority, through its armed forces, to the southern border.” The meeting followed a trilateral framework agreement signed on June 26, 2026, between Lebanon, Israel, and the United States.
What the framework actually says
The deal, brokered by Washington, outlines a sequenced approach to restoring Lebanese state control south of the Litani River. Israeli forces pull out, but only after verified disarmament of non-state actors like Hezbollah, with the Lebanese army filling the security vacuum.
Hezbollah was conspicuously absent from the negotiating table. The group has rejected the accord outright, branding it a humiliation and a surrender of Lebanese sovereignty.
