Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri receiving American officials on Sept. 29, 2026. (Credit: Lebanese Parliament)
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From Washington to Beirut, Lebanon’s main leaders ramped up calls for the United States to help implement the framework agreement with Israel. President Joseph Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri on Tuesday urged visiting U.S. lawmakers in Beirut to pressure Israel. Aoun called on Washington to push Israel to implement the agreement, while Berri said the United States was "the only one capable" of applying the necessary pressure to end the war against Lebanon.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam had called Monday evening in Washington for a "clear timetable" for an Israeli withdrawal and the extension of state authority, as well as a "credible verification mechanism" for both parties’ commitments.
Why it matters
This alignment comes as Lebanese-Israeli talks seek a way forward against a backdrop of intensifying Israeli attacks in south Lebanon and uncertainty over the next round of negotiations. Lebanese authorities now see concrete results from the talks as essential, rather than simply holding meetings without follow-through.
Their demands center on parallel progress toward an Israeli withdrawal and Hezbollah disarmament, as well as a mechanism to verify each party’s compliance with its commitments. The stakes therefore extend well beyond holding the next meeting: Beirut wants guarantees that the agreement will be implemented, even as both sides continue to condition their steps on reciprocal progress.
What to watch
- New Israeli incursion in southern Syria. Five Israeli military vehicles entered the Syrian village of Zbayda in the Quneitra countryside while students were on their way to school, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The incursion comes as Israeli military movements increase in the Quneitra and Daraa countryside, which Damascus regularly condemns as violations of its sovereignty.
- Mohammad bin Salman and Mansour bin Zayed meet in Riyadh. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and UAE Vice President Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan met in Riyadh to discuss the regional situation. It was their first meeting since tensions arose between the two Gulf monarchies at the end of 2025.
- Katz threatens Hamas leaders abroad. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to target Hamas leaders living outside the Gaza Strip, where Israel continues to carry out strikes that it claims target Palestinian fighters. "Hamas leaders abroad are also in our crosshairs. None of these reprehensible murderers, who played a key role in the Oct. 7 massacre, should die peacefully in their beds," Katz said in a video message, referring to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that triggered the Gaza war.
Elsewhere in the news
- Transportation: Wednesday’s general strike suspended. The Federation of Road Transport and the General Confederation of Lebanese Workers, or CGTL, suspended the general strike they had announced for Wednesday across Lebanon after securing commitments from the authorities. The unions had planned the action to protest rising fuel prices and demand allowances for drivers. The civil servants’ union, however, is maintaining its strike call for Wednesday and Thursday to demand higher transportation allowances.
- Israeli attacks continue in several areas of south Lebanon. Israeli forces carried out artillery and missile strikes, fired automatic weapons, and conducted demolition operations, particularly in the districts of Sour, Marjayoun, Bint Jbeil, Nabatieh and Hasbaya. Israeli armored movements and gunfire from Israeli positions were also reported in the region.
- Smotrich calls for annexation of territory in south Lebanon and Gaza; Doha and Riyadh push back. Qatar and Saudi Arabia condemned remarks by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who called for the annexation of land in south Lebanon and Gaza. Doha called the remarks a "flagrant violation of international law," while Riyadh rejected any "attempt at Israeli expansion."
- Netanyahu cites "indications" of potential attacks before elections. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there were "indications that Israel’s enemies could carry out attacks" against the country ahead of legislative elections scheduled for late October. His office released the comments in a video filmed at an air force base. "Here’s my message to you: Don’t attack us, not now and not ever. We can strike you anywhere, anytime," he warned.
