Smoke billows from southern Lebanon, following Israeli strikes, as seen from Nabatieh, Lebanon, June 2, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/ Stringer

Lebanon and Israel signed a historic framework deal in Washington last Wednesday that serves as a clear roadmap to disarm Hezbollah, end the war, and put the two countries on the path to peace. A follow-up meeting is scheduled for June 22. The Lebanese delegation reports to President Joseph Aoun. However, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, has opposed the US-sponsored agreement. This came days after Berri tried, with help from some in the Trump administration, to sabotage direct Lebanese-Israeli talks and tie Lebanon to Iran’s agenda.

Last Monday, Berri circumvented Aoun by opening a secret backchannel to President Trump with assistance from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and administration friends close to the speaker. In a rare New York Times interview, Berri declared, “No one can make a real cease-fire except for Trump.” He guaranteed Hezbollah’s commitment to a ceasefire, saying the message came directly from the group. Trump boasted Washington had talked to Hezbollah, a Foreign Terrorist Organization according to the State Department.

Berri’s offer may seem like a breakthrough. In reality, it is the third time since 2000 that Berri has repeated this deception: promising Hezbollah will hold fire and disarm if Israel stops and withdraws from war territories. This is his signature tactic of deception.

In 2000, Israel withdrew unilaterally and the UN certified compliance with Resolution 425. Lebanon never disarmed Hezbollah, which expanded its armament and launched war in 2006. Berri promised ceasefire and disarmament under Resolution 1701 if Israel pulled back. The promises were broken as Hezbollah strengthened. In October 2023, Hezbollah started war again. Berri promised to enforce 1701 if Israel ceased fire and withdrew, which it did. In March 2026, Hezbollah attacked to avenge Khamenei’s killing. Berri now offers the same empty promises: Ceasefire, withdraw, expect a future war. Israel has had enough of Hezbollah’s aggression and Berri’s duplicity.

Last month, the Treasury Department sanctioned Berri’s top aide and Israeli jets struck his brother’s empty house as a warning. Berri remains undeterred, continuing his smoke-and-mirrors game since becoming speaker in 1992.

The Washington agreement requires a complete ceasefire after Beirut forces Hezbollah to stop firing projectiles on Israel and withdraw from south of the Litani River. Israel will then hand over territory the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) as pilot experiments. If the Lebanese army clears and holds the zones without Hezbollah rebuilding, more land follows. This allows Israel to clear Hezbollah land and return it to the Lebanese state, a win-win for Beirut and Jerusalem, loss for Hezbollah and Tehran.

Hezbollah defied the deal and kept firing to prove it rules Lebanon. Berri sided with Hezbollah, calling the deal a “bastard” agreement. He said the text could have been positive if it simply called for a ceasefire without conditions or restrictions. Instead, Berri added the joint statement was “booby-trapped” as it included a complete and total ceasefire by Hezbollah and the evacuation of all its forces from south of the Litani River, but without an Israeli withdrawal to the borders.

Berri also criticized the “pilot zones” experiment, and said that he only agreed to a complete and comprehensive ceasefire without any conditions or restrictions. Hezbollah’s withdrawal from south of the Litani, he argued, must happen in parallel with the Israeli withdrawal to the borders between the two countries. The rest of the text was worthless, Berri concluded.

Berri is hedging by positioning himself as the only channel for a Hezbollah ceasefire, thus taking Hezbollah’s side, while avoiding collapse of the government, therefore defying the pro-Iran militia. Berri wants the government as a puppet with real power in Hezbollah and his hands. He sabotages Washington talks by offering himself as the parallel solution, repeating the failed formulas of 2000, 2006, and 2024.

Had Berri backed Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Hezbollah’s position would have become politically untenable, coupled with Israel’s unrelenting military pressure on the Iranian proxy militia.

Berri obstructs durable peace and, therefore, President Trump’s policy and US interests in the Middle East. His overseas accounts should be frozen. Only this threat will force him to support the deal, help dismantle Hezbollah, free Lebanon from Iran, and secure peace between the two neighbors. Anything less will only reward his sabotage and guarantee more conflict ahead.

Hussain Abdul-Hussain is a research fellow at The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD)