Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Thursday that his government had worked out a ceasefire agreement with Israel, but it was swiftly rejected by the Iran-backed terrorists of Hezbollah insisting that “any effective deal must begin with a full Israeli withdrawal from all Lebanese territory.”
Hezbollah further demanded “the return of displaced residents, reconstruction efforts, and the release of Lebanese prisoners” as “essential conditions for any future agreement.”
Aoun said the agreement he announced on Thursday was the “last chance to enter into a final, comprehensive ceasefire,” and “each party bears responsibility” for choosing to pass up that chance.
The Lebanese president said the agreement was designed to take effect within 24 hours and would be guaranteed by the United States, which hosted discussions in Washington.
Israel provisionally accepted the deal, which reportedly would have created “pilot zones” controlled by the Lebanese armed forces, “to the exclusion of all non-state actors.” This was meant as a compromise that would satisfy Israel’s security needs, without requiring Israel to annex a sizable portion of Lebanese territory to ensure that Hezbollah weapons could not menace Israeli civilians.
Israel’s acceptance was “contingent on a complete cessation of fire” by Hezbollah – but within hours of Aoun’s announcement, air-raid sirens were sounding once again in northern Israel as Hezbollah missiles rained down.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced soon thereafter that Israel would not be withdrawing its forces from Lebanese territory, and would continue to “dismantle terrorist infrastructure in the area.” Katz said this would require Lebanese civilians to stay away from the areas occupied by Israel.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam indicated on Thursday that the Lebanese Army would still begin deploying to the “pilot zones,” as envisioned by the “first phase” of the agreement Hezbollah rejected. It was not immediately clear what these pilot zone forces would do if they encountered resistance from Hezbollah.
Israel conducted further airstrikes in Southern Lebanon on Thursday, while Hezbollah said it was continuing to counterattack Israeli troops around the strategic Beaufort Castle. Israel announced on Thursday afternoon that one of its soldiers, 21-year-old Capt. Eitan Shmuel Lemberg, “fell in combat” after Hezbollah attacked an Israeli tank with a missile.
Hezbollah’s patrons in Iran weighed in by seconding the Lebanese terror group’s demand for all Israeli forces to withdraw as a precondition for a truce, and by repeating its position that no ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran would be possible until Israel withdraws from Lebanon.
“The minimum demand of the resistance is the withdrawal of the usurping regime to the position it held before the start of the 40-day war,” said Esmail Qaani, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force division, which handles foreign operations and subversion.
“Supporting the resistance in Lebanon is the duty of all of us, and removing Israel from the region is an attainable goal for Muslims,” Qaani said.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a statement on Thursday condemning the killing of a Serbian peacekeeper, Sgt. Milovan Jovanivic, when mortar fire struck his position in southeastern Lebanon.
“Seven peacekeepers serving with UNIFIL have now been killed since the escalation in hostilities since 2 March 2026, with several more wounded,” Guterres said.
“All attacks on peacekeepers must be promptly investigated, and those responsible must be effectively prosecuted and held accountable,” he insisted.
Guterres expressed his support for the truce deal negotiated in Washington, and called on Hezbollah to begin respecting “the Lebanese government’s authority and its exclusive control over weapons,” as well as calling on Israel to withdraw its troops.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said that “deliberate attacks on peacekeepers are grave violations of international humanitarian law,” as well as U.N. Security Council resolutions, and “may amount to war crimes.”
UNIFIL said it was not clear who fired the mortar round that killed the peacekeeper, but it was apparently launched from north of the Litani River, the boundary between north and south Lebanon that Israeli troops only recently crossed.
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