Iran calls on the United States to take 'all necessary measures' to ensure Israel halts its military operations in Lebanon

Published 28 June 2026

Reading time: 5 minutes

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi affirmed that Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon and stopping its raids are mandatory under the memorandum of understanding with the United States, during an official visit to the Iraqi capital.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei called on the United States to take 'all necessary measures' to ensure Israel stops its military operations in Lebanon, according to Iran's Mehr News Agency.

Baghaei's remarks on Sunday came in response to a question about the framework agreement signed between Lebanese authorities and Israel under US auspices, and the status of the Iran-US memorandum of understanding concerning Lebanon.

Baghaei stressed the need to protect Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity, saying ending the Israeli war and presence in Lebanon is a 'basic condition' for the success of any agreement, adding that Tehran has made it a priority in the memorandum with Washington, along with ending the war with Iran.

Baghaei emphasized that implementing the first clause of the memorandum, which includes stopping Israeli military operations and withdrawal from Lebanon, is a basic condition for reaching a permanent agreement aimed at achieving regional stability.

He also urged the United States to take all necessary measures to stop what he described as Israeli aggression on Lebanese territory, and called for setting a timetable for the unconditional withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory.

In a phone call with his Lebanese counterpart, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated that Tehran is striving to end the war in Lebanon, an issue that was among the most important topics discussed during talks in Switzerland last week.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem had attacked the agreement, describing it as a surrender of Lebanese sovereignty to Israel.

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He added that the Iran-US memorandum of understanding 'guarantees Lebanon's territorial integrity and sovereignty, and that sovereignty is achieved by full Israeli withdrawal as agreed upon within 60 days,' criticizing the Lebanese government for giving up 'strong cards' that 'Lebanon never dreamed of' in the memorandum, as he put it.

Continued shelling and clashes in southern Lebanon

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This comes as the Israeli army announced the death of a soldier on Sunday in clashes in southern Lebanon, while a Lebanese person was killed and at least two others were injured, two days after Israel and Lebanon signed the framework agreement.

The army said Captain David Hazout, 21, a platoon commander, 'fell in battle' in southern Lebanon, bringing the number of Israeli army dead to 38 since the war between Israel and Hezbollah erupted in early March.

A military official said in a separate statement that Hazout was killed when soldiers confronted a 'Hezbollah terrorist after entering a suspicious building in the Deir Siryan area in southern Lebanon.'

The official said another Israeli soldier was lightly injured in the incident, adding that 'following the incident, the soldiers began searching for the terrorist and struck targets in the area.'

Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli army announced that it had carried out raids, killed Hezbollah gunmen, and destroyed a rocket launcher in the Nabatieh area in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli army explained in a statement by military spokesman Avichay Adraee that it eliminated Hezbollah members armed with RPGs, targeted the building from which the gunmen were operating, and destroyed a rocket launcher that posed a threat in the Nabatieh area.

The Lebanese Health Ministry had announced that Israeli air raids in Lebanon resulted in one death, one day after the two countries signed an agreement aimed at paving the way for lasting peace.

Lebanon's official National News Agency reported that an Israeli drone bombed the town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa in the south, and later reported additional strikes in the area, injuring at least two others.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese National News Agency reported that a drone is flying over the southern suburbs of Beirut, and other drones are flying at low altitude over Baalbek and neighboring villages.

It added on Sunday that an Israeli warplane launched an air strike targeting the outskirts of the towns of Deir Siryan and Taybeh in southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese presidency had announced that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told US President Donald Trump that he hopes Washington will help prevent violations of the framework agreement with Israel and ensure compliance with agreed commitments, especially by pressuring Israel to withdraw from occupied areas in southern Lebanon.

The presidency added in a statement on Saturday that Aoun also told Trump during a phone call that Lebanon will assume its responsibilities in implementing the framework agreement.

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Meanwhile, the Secretary-General of Lebanon's armed Hezbollah group, which was not involved in the negotiations, rejected the agreement reached on Friday under US mediation and accused the Beirut government of undermining Lebanon's sovereignty.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the agreement, reached in Washington, as 'historic' and 'a blow to Iran and Hezbollah.'

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Under the four-point framework agreement, Israel will withdraw its forces from the area south of the Litani River, with the Lebanese army assuming exclusive control over the evacuated territory.

However, Israeli forces are permitted to remain in an expanded security zone in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Saturday accused the Lebanese government of making 'free concessions' to Israel, saying: 'The framework agreement in Washington is humiliation, disgrace, and a surrender of sovereignty,' considering the agreement 'non-existent.'

Qassem criticized clauses linking Israel's withdrawal to disarming the group, saying this crosses 'all red lines and makes Lebanon a toy in the hands of the Israeli enemy.'