Ben-Gvir calls Lebanon agreement a ‘major mistake,’ demands Cabinet vote

The agreement calls for the replacement of the IDF with the Lebanese army in southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Friday denounced the Israel-Lebanon framework agreement reached in Washington, calling it “a major mistake” and urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring the deal before the Security Cabinet for a vote.

“I already appealed to the prime minister this evening to hold a vote in the Security Cabinet, and I have been fighting against this agreement for weeks,” Ben-Gvir said.

The agreement, signed after five rounds of negotiations, outlines a framework to end the conflict by gradually replacing Israel Defense Forces positions in southern Lebanon with the Lebanese army while advancing the disarmament of the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah.

According to the US State Department, the framework establishes a phased plan to dismantle Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure, disarm the group, and facilitate the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon once the Hezbollah threat has been eliminated.

The agreement also creates the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon, or MCG4L, a US-backed trilateral mechanism tasked with overseeing implementation of the framework.

The State Department said the United States will strengthen the capabilities of the Lebanese Armed Forces, support Lebanese military operations against Hezbollah, and provide $100 million in humanitarian assistance to be coordinated with the United Nations.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the agreement Friday, describing it as “a major achievement for the State of Israel.” He said Israel would “remain [in] the security zone in southern Lebanon” while coordinating a phased withdrawal of Israel Defense Forces as the Lebanese army assumes control of the area, disarms Hezbollah, and establishes its authority.

Ben-Gvir also criticized Netanyahu’s comments during a press conference about his intention to form a broad national coalition if he wins the upcoming election.

“The statement is very troubling. Previous governments in which Netanyahu brought in figures from the left gave us Tzipi Livni as justice minister and Benny Gantz as defense minister, and paralyzed the government’s ability to advance a determined right-wing policy,” Ben-Gvir said. He added that the government Netanyahu should form “is only a full right-wing government.”