Nabih Berri Rejects Lebanon's Framework Agreement with Israel

Nabih Berri, the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament and an ally of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia, stated on Monday that the framework agreement signed between Lebanon and Israel under U.S. auspices "will neither proceed nor be implemented," asserting that it fails to safeguard Lebanon's rights.

Berri expressed in a statement released by the Amal Movement, which he leads, that "this agreement will neither proceed nor be implemented in its current form," describing it as an "imposed agreement, not one that preserves Lebanon's rights."

The agreement specifically includes provisions for the disarmament of Hezbollah and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from territories they had penetrated in southern Lebanon, alongside the deployment of the Lebanese army starting from two "pilot" areas.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam held a phone call with Speaker Nabih Berri during which they reviewed the situation and developments following Lebanon's signing of the framework agreement with Israel.

According to a statement published by the Lebanese government on the X platform, both Salam and Berri affirmed their rejection of any discord among Lebanese citizens and called for efforts to confront such divisions and prevent any political disagreement from becoming a source of national division and discord.

They emphasized the importance of maintaining national unity during this period.

An Israeli report indicated that both Hezbollah and the Amal Movement are considering resigning from the Lebanese government to bring it down in protest against the agreement between Lebanon and Israel, while several Lebanese cities have witnessed protests by supporters of the Shiite duo opposing the agreement.

Baruch Yedid, an analyst of Arab affairs on the Israeli channel i24NEWS, quoted an unnamed Hezbollah official as saying that "the party and the Amal Movement are studying a coordinated move to have their ministers resign from the government to topple it," noting that Speaker Nabih Berri, who is reportedly angry with the Lebanese president, is aware of the details of these moves.