Lebanese premier says US-backed framework with Israel sets stage for negotiations, not agreement

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Wednesday that the US-sponsored framework with Israel is intended to define "the path of negotiations" toward a deal, but is not itself an agreement or treaty, according to local media.

"The phrase 'framework agreement' causes confusion. We are talking about a guiding framework for negotiations to define their path with the aim of reaching an agreement, not an agreement or treaty," Salam said in an interview with Lebanon's private broadcaster LBCI.

"We are not enthusiasts for negotiations with Israel, but we reached this stage after two wars that left thousands of victims," he said, adding that the first offensive caused direct damage exceeding $7 billion, excluding economic losses estimated at around $13 billion.

Salam said implementation of the framework should lead to Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon and allow displaced residents to return safely and with dignity to their villages and homes.

"Our goal is the return of southerners to their homes and stopping the bleeding," he said.

"We do not seek confrontation with Hezbollah, and we must seek to prevent armed confrontation with it. But we will not submit to blackmail or threats of civil war, and we will not retreat from restricting weapons to the state," he added.

On Friday, Beirut and Tel Aviv signed a US-sponsored framework intended to facilitate a phased Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory and reduce hostilities along the border.

The framework does not set a clear timetable for Israel's withdrawal from the two disputed areas or from all Lebanese territory. It also links the process to the Lebanese army assuming full responsibility for security in areas vacated by Israeli forces and to the disarmament of all armed groups outside state control, foremost among them Hezbollah.

Israel has occupied parts of southern Lebanon for years, some for decades. It also seized additional areas during the 2023-2024 war and advanced more than 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) into Lebanese territory during the current offensive.

Since March 2, 2026, Israel's offensive on Lebanon has killed more than 4,000 people, injured over 12,000, and displaced more than 1 million, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.

*Writing by Lina Altawell in Istanbul