Hezbollah lawmaker warns of Lebanese 'internal conflict' after Israel deal

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah warned Sunday that Lebanon's framework agreement with Israel risks triggering "internal conflict," predicting the deal signed in Washington on Friday would never be implemented.

The accord, which followed five rounds of talks, includes plans to disarm Hezbollah, which the group has flatly rejected.

What did Hezbollah say about the Lebanon-Israel agreement?

Hezbollah has declared the agreement "null and void" and called it a surrender of sovereignty. Lawmaker Fadlallah went further Sunday, saying the deal amounts to "sedition" designed to shift Lebanon's conflict away from Israel and toward an internal Lebanese dispute. The group has vowed to keep its weapons and continue its "path of resistance."

What does the Lebanon-Israel deal require?

The text shared by the US State Department commits Lebanon and Israel, officially at war for decades, to conclusively ending their conflict and formally concluding any state of war.

Under the framework, Lebanon's military is required to restore sovereign authority over all Lebanese territory while non-state armed groups are verified and disarmed. Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz has insisted Israeli troops could remain in Lebanon as long as Hezbollah stays armed.

How has Lebanon's government responded to the deal?

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told US President Donald Trump in a Saturday phone call that the Lebanese state "will assume its responsibilities" in implementing the agreement. That pledge drew a sharp response from Fadlallah, who said at a memorial ceremony that what the authorities had done "amounts to sedition aimed at pushing the country into chaos."

Is Israel still striking Lebanon after the agreement?

Israeli airstrikes continued over the weekend despite the framework deal. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported Sunday that an Israeli warplane struck the outskirts of Deir Seryan and Taybeh in the country's south. The Lebanese health ministry said one person was killed Saturday in an attack on Nabatieh al-Fawqa.

The Israeli military confirmed it had struck Hezbollah fighters it detected near Nabatieh and said its troops had dismantled a rocket launcher that posed a threat to them.

How did Lebanon get drawn into the wider Middle East conflict?

Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the broader regional war in March, firing rockets at Israel to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes. Israel responded with heavy airstrikes and a ground invasion.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said Saturday that the group's weapons were an internal Lebanese matter in which Israel had no right to interfere, and that its fighters would "remain on the trigger."