Lebanon will test before dawn on Monday whether Israel will honor a ceasefire and halt attacks on civilians and civilian facilities, and whether Hezbollah will match that commitment, in a push to turn a fragile pause into real calm on the ground.
The expected de-escalation would pave the way for the security track to begin smoothly at the end of this month and for the political track to resume early next month.
But Hezbollah said direct negotiations with Israel would “strengthen Israeli gains at Lebanon’s expense,” warning the Lebanese authorities “not to go too far in deviant choices with the enemy” and blaming the talks for continued Israeli pressure and attacks.
A Lebanese official source told Asharq Al-Awsat that contacts Lebanon has made after the first round of direct negotiations with Israel in Washington have focused on securing those principles before moving to the next steps in the security and political tracks.
The source said Lebanon had stressed in talks with the US sponsor of the negotiations that the ceasefire must hold and that attacks on infrastructure and civilian facilities must stop. The source said the initial Israeli response showed readiness to comply if the other side, Hezbollah, did the same.
“We have informed the concerned parties inside Lebanon, the party, of these details,” the source said.
“The Lebanese presidency was informed by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri that the party is ready to halt fire if Israel commits to doing so. Things are now being put to the test, especially since the Israeli side’s pledges cannot be trusted, as experience has shown so far,” the source added.
The source said Berri had informed the presidency that Hezbollah was ready to issue a public pledge before the extended ceasefire deadline expires at midnight Sunday into Monday.
Hezbollah warned against “attempts to reproduce something more dangerous than the May 17 Agreement” by pushing for a “full and comprehensive peace agreement” between Lebanon and Israel. It said any such path would be a “deviation” from national principles and a breach of the Lebanese constitution, Lebanon’s history and the sacrifices of its people.
The party issued its statement on the 43rd anniversary of the May 17, 1983 agreement, reaffirming its commitment to “resistance” and rejecting any peace agreement with Israel.
Hezbollah said the Lebanese authorities were “dealing with the enemy as if it were a peaceful, recognized entity,” despite the continued “Israeli occupation and attacks.” It warned that such a course could threaten domestic stability and rejected “any foreign dictates or pressure, whether American or otherwise,” which it said aimed to impose political choices on Lebanon.
It said direct negotiations with Israel serve to “strengthen Israeli gains at Lebanon’s expense,” urged the Lebanese authorities “not to go too far in deviant choices with the enemy,” and blamed the negotiation track for continued Israeli pressure and attacks.
As Israeli escalation continued in the south, Lebanon’s internal political debate over Hezbollah’s weapons and its role in the next phase intensified. The US-sponsored negotiation track in Washington has again placed the issue of restricting arms to the Lebanese state at the top of the political and security agenda.
MP Fouad Makhzoumi hardened his position on the weapons issue, saying “the era of weapons outside the state is over” and that any coming settlement must reinforce the authority of the Lebanese state and its sole right to decide on war and peace.
In a post on X, Makhzoumi said extending the ceasefire and launching the political and security tracks under US sponsorship offer a chance to rebuild the state and strengthen the Lebanese army as the only authority responsible for protecting the borders, the land and the people. He said all weapons outside Lebanese legitimacy must end.
MP Ali Khreis, a member of the Development and Liberation bloc, condemned the Israeli raids on Tyre during a tour of the city, saying “the resistance cannot kneel or bow to pressure.”
“What was said yesterday about extending the ceasefire is a false extension, as the Israeli enemy bombed residential buildings, neighborhoods and infrastructure and destroyed them completely. This shows the enemy’s premeditated intentions toward our people in Tyre and the south,” he said.
Other political positions, meanwhile, stressed the need to restore the Lebanese state’s authority and its sole power over decisions of war and peace.
MP Ghayath Yazbeck, a member of the Lebanese Forces bloc, urged the Lebanese state to “seize the opportunity on the table to save the country from the repercussions of Hezbollah’s policies.”
He said the proposed political and security tracks could lead to long-term understandings, provided Lebanon fulfills its pledges to place weapons exclusively under state control.
Yazbeck said Lebanon’s decisions should be driven by “the interests of the Lebanese people, not Iran’s calculations or Hezbollah’s choices.” He said Hezbollah is demanding a ceasefire while rejecting the steps that could make it hold.
