Israel and Lebanon agree to renew fragile ceasefire, establish 'experimental zones'

Published 3 June 2026

Last updated 2 minutes ago

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The US Department of State announced that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to renew the fragile ceasefire between them, and to establish a number of "experimental zones" inside Lebanon where Hezbollah elements will be banned.

The ministry said the agreement is conditional, among other things, on a "complete cessation" of attacks by the Iran-backed Hezbollah against Israel.

Commenting on this announcement, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that Israel will continue its ground operations in southern Lebanon for the time being, and that Lebanese civilians forced to leave their homes due to Israeli operations will not be able to return.

Katz said in a statement that forces will remain in what Israel calls the "security zone" in southern Lebanon, including the area of Qal'at ash-Shaqif, a 900-year-old fortress that Israel took control of on Saturday.

He added that Israel will continue to "dismantle terrorist infrastructure in the area," noting that Israel enjoys "freedom of movement, with the support of the United States, to strike Beirut in response to any attacks targeting population centers and Israeli territory."

For his part, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that the ceasefire with Lebanon is a "grave mistake" and "mere illusions promoted by advisors who are leading the Prime Minister towards wrong decisions."

Ben-Gvir added on his account on the "X" platform: "Hezbollah has not withdrawn from the area south of the Litani River, and the Lebanese army has no means to enforce its evacuation. The Lebanese state is also a partner to Hezbollah, as its government includes ministers from the party, and relatives of its elements serve in the Lebanese army."

Ben-Gvir stressed that "in practice, this agreement will only strengthen Hezbollah's power, and instead of defeating it, Israel is coexisting with its very presence."

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He believed that "the Prime Minister should have told President Trump: We love you and appreciate you, but Israel is a sovereign and independent state, and it cannot accept the strengthening of a terrorist organization or its presence at all on its borders."

Ben-Gvir said in the same tweet: "There are moments when we must know how to say no, even to the President of the United States. If we do not do so, we will find ourselves facing Hezbollah again when it becomes much stronger and more dangerous."

He continued: "Although, unfortunately, I was informed of these directions during a limited meeting in the Prime Minister's office, I demand that a discussion be held in the Ministerial Committee (Cabinet) and a vote be taken on the ceasefire decision."

The announcement comes after Israeli airstrikes killed at least nine people in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, while Hezbollah fired rockets at northern Israel, testing a partial ceasefire reached on Monday.

The US State Department said the two countries "rejected any attempt by any state or non-governmental actor to hold Lebanon's future hostage."

The agreement came after the fourth round of US-sponsored talks in Washington, and it is also conditional on "the removal of all Hezbollah elements" from the area controlled by Israel in southern Lebanon, extending from the Litani River to the border.

The US State Department said Washington would help guide the establishment of "experimental zones where the Lebanese Armed Forces will have exclusive control of the land, with the exclusion of all non-governmental actors." No further details were provided on how these zones would operate.

The American announcement came after a partial ceasefire reached on Monday, which the Lebanese government said stipulated that Israel refrain from bombing Beirut, in exchange for Hezbollah refraining from attacking Israel.

The two sides are scheduled to meet again on June 22 for further talks "aimed at reaching a comprehensive agreement."

Mahmoud Qamati, a member of the party's political council, told the BBC on Tuesday: "There was no agreement for a ceasefire, but rather protection for the suburb only."

Qamati stressed that Hezbollah will not abide by any commitments issued from the Lebanese-Israeli talks in Washington, saying: "These negotiations do not concern us, and we do not recognize their results or decisions, because we rejected them in principle."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, before the announcement, that he hoped the talks would lead to "an action plan to achieve security in Lebanon, separate from Hezbollah."

This partial ceasefire was tested this week by both Israel and Hezbollah.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health said that among the dead from the Israeli raids on Wednesday were two paramedics whose ambulance was targeted in the Shuhur area of southern Lebanon. Another car was also targeted south of Beirut.

In contrast, the Israeli army said it had intercepted a drone and two projectiles that crossed the border. Hezbollah said it had targeted a gathering of Israeli forces.

Israeli leaders had warned, before Wednesday's announcement, that the army would resume its strikes on "Hezbollah's stronghold" in the southern suburb of Beirut if the party launched cross-border attacks on population centers in northern Israel.

According to the Lebanese government, the partial ceasefire reached on Monday stipulates that "Israel will not launch a large-scale attack on Beirut in exchange for Hezbollah refraining from launching attacks against Israel."

Lebanon became involved in the ongoing war between the United States, Israel, and Iran on March 2nd, when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel in response to an Israeli raid that killed the Supreme Leader of Iran. Israel responded with an air campaign on Lebanon and a ground invasion in the south.

A US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon on April 16 failed to stop the fighting. Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the army to intensify its raids on Hezbollah and advance further into Lebanon, in response to drone and rocket attacks on towns in northern Israel.