Published on 6/28/2026
The Israeli media began publishing leaks about parts of the “secret security annex” to the Lebanese-Israeli agreement, which was signed last Friday in Washington, after 5 rounds, the last of which lasted 4 days.
The Times of Israel newspaper quoted a knowledgeable official as saying that the secret security annex to the framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon stipulates that the Israeli army maintains complete freedom to move against what it describes as threats within the security zone, and confirms that there is no automatic withdrawal of Israeli forces.
For its part, Israeli Channel 12 reported that secret parts of the security annex to the agreement with Lebanon were revealed for the first time – this Sunday evening, noting that although the agreement was published in full on the US State Department website, the security annex remained secret based on an explicit request from the Lebanese government, but its principles were approved for publication.
According to the Channel 12 report, the principles leaked from the annex are as follows:
- Linking the withdrawal to the field evaluation: Article Four of the annex – according to the channel – stipulates that any Israeli withdrawal will be subject to a field evaluation, and not to a specific timetable, which is what the Lebanese government agreed to, which means that the implementation of the withdrawal operations will be conditional on the conditions on the ground, and not a specific time period.
- The Israeli veto on the experimental areas: The Israeli channel confirms – based on the appendix, according to what it said – that the expansion of the experimental areas entered by the Lebanese army will not take place in the next stage except with the approval of Tel Aviv, noting that there are only two experimental areas in the agreed upon areas, and Israel estimates that the deployment of the Lebanese army in them will take several weeks.
The channel also claims that the security attaché consolidates the freedom of action of the Israeli army within the so-called Yellow Line, allowing it to carry out operations against what it considers emerging and direct threats.
In this context, the report indicated that Israel fears that Iran will put pressure on the United States to link any understandings between it to obligating Israel to completely withdraw from Lebanese territory, which Tel Aviv sees as undermining the essence of the bilateral agreement.
Beginning of withdrawal
According to the agreement, Israel is supposed to begin withdrawing today, Sunday, from two “experimental areas” in southern Lebanon, designated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in Zawtar al-Gharbiyya and Faron, as a first step under the framework agreement that Lebanon and Israel signed in Washington under American sponsorship, following a fifth round of negotiations.
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said that the Israeli army is preparing to withdraw from two “experimental areas” in southern Lebanon, in parallel with the start of field arrangements that allow the Lebanese army to gradually assume responsibility in these two areas.
The director of Al Jazeera’s office in Lebanon, Mazen Ibrahim, said that the Lebanese authorities did not talk about the fact that the town of Fron in the Bint Jbeil district, south of the Litani River, and Zawtar al-Gharbiyya in the Nabatieh district, north of the river, are the two experimental areas concerned with the Israeli army’s withdrawal from them as a first step.
Ibrahim added that the Israeli occupation forces are not present in Zawtar al-Gharbiyya and Faron, indicating that the internal debate revolves around the issue of “experimental areas,” as the parties say that this issue must be subject to internal discussion, and that it is not possible to define “experimental areas” outside the framework of the Israeli occupation.
