The United States is in talks with officials in Lebanon’s presidency and government to secure a ceasefire in southern Lebanon and prevent renewed fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanese diplomatic sources told the Emirati news site Aram News.
Under the proposed arrangement, the Lebanese government would be required to step up pressure on Hezbollah and take more effective measures to restrict its movements in the south, the report said.
Sources in Lebanon said the talks are part of a US effort to prevent an escalation in Lebanon that could undermine mediation efforts between Washington and Tehran. According to them, progress in US-Iran negotiations depends on maintaining relative calm on the various fronts.
The proposed agreement is not the first of its kind; earlier agreements have been plentiful, but the Lebanese government struggles to fully implement them.
In March, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced that the government rejected any military or security actions launched from Lebanese territory outside the framework of state institutions. The Lebanese Cabinet also instructed all military and security agencies to take immediate measures to prevent any military operations, rocket launches, or drone attacks from Lebanese territory and to arrest violators in accordance with applicable laws.
In addition, the government requested that the Army Command begin immediately and firmly implementing the plan presented at the February 16, 2026, Cabinet session regarding the restriction of weapons north of the Litani River, using all necessary means to ensure its execution.
In June, Israel and Lebanon signed a historic ceasefire agreement, establishing conditions for shifting the security reality on the northern border, with the primary objective for both sides being the complete removal of Iranian influence from Lebanon.
The agreement stipulates that Israel will remain within the Yellow Line zone until the Hezbollah terrorist organization is fully disarmed, and until it is proven that Lebanon can assume full sovereignty and responsibility over its own territory.
Following the agreement, Israel withdrew its forces from the town of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh in the Nabatieh area of southern Lebanon, allowing Lebanon to deploy its own troops in the area.
In August, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem again rejected the US-mediated framework agreed upon by Israel and Lebanon in June, opposing both the proposed Israeli withdrawal and the disarmament of the terror group.
Last year, the Lebanese cabinet welcomed a military proposal to disarm Hezbollah, though no formal vote was held and no timeline was set for implementation, Reuters reported.
The plan, presented by army commander Rodolphe Haykal during a three-hour cabinet session, was met with immediate protest from Shiite ministers, all five of whom exited the meeting upon Haykal’s arrival.
Earlier that year, Lebanon’s cabinet tasked the army with formulating a plan for disarming Hezbollah by the end of 2025.
In 2024, Israel and Lebanon reached an agreement under which Hezbollah and all other armed groups in Lebanon would not carry out any offensive action against Israel, and in return Israel will not carry out any offensive military action against targets in Lebanon, including by land, air and sea.
In addition, Israel and Lebanon will recognize the importance of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, even though, "these obligations do not negate Israel’s or Lebanon’s inherent right to self-defense," the agreement stated.
The agreement also stipulates that Lebanon's official military and security forces will be the only armed groups authorized to carry weapons or operate military forces in southern Lebanon.