The US published the full text of the ceasefire: Israel retains the right to strike threats from Lebanon

The United States has released the full text of the ceasefire agreements between Israel and Lebanon, and the document itself reveals the main point: it is not about an unconditional freeze of all actions by the Israeli side. On the contrary, the text explicitly states that Israel retains the right to take necessary self-defense measures at any time against planned, immediate, or ongoing attacks. For the Israeli audience, this is perhaps the key part of the entire structure, because it shows the real logic of the agreement, not its diplomatic facade.

Formally, the document is presented as the result of direct negotiations on April 14, 2026, between the government of Israel and the government of Lebanon, mediated by the United States. The parties declare that they are ready to work on conditions for stable peace, mutual recognition of sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as ensuring security along the common border. But behind this cautious language lies a much more practical matter: Washington is trying to create a framework in which Lebanon is obliged to prove that it can control its territory, and Israel can gain space for self-defense without formally abandoning the ceasefire regime.

For Israel, it is especially important here that the text does not blur the central problem of southern Lebanon — the presence of non-state armed groups, primarily Hezbollah. The document explicitly states that such forces undermine Lebanon’s sovereignty and threaten regional stability. Moreover, it is specifically emphasized that the only structures allowed to bear arms in Lebanon should be the official Lebanese security forces — the army, internal security forces, General Security Directorate, State Security Directorate, customs, and municipal police.

This is no longer just a diplomatic formula. It is an attempt to legally and politically enshrine a principle that Israel has sought to see for many years: Lebanon either becomes a full-fledged master of its territory or cannot count on sustainable calm at the border. And it is at this point that the text is especially interesting for the Israeli reader because it shifts the responsibility for the further development of events not only to Jerusalem but also to Beirut.

What exactly does the new ceasefire establish

According to the published text, the ceasefire regime comes into effect on April 16, 2026, at 5:00 PM Eastern US time, which corresponds to midnight in Israel and Lebanon. In the first stage, it is designed for ten days and is described as a gesture of goodwill by the Israeli government to ensure good-faith negotiations on a permanent security and peace agreement between the two countries.

In itself, this is already indicative. In this case, Israel is not declared a party that capitulates to external pressure or agrees to an indefinite pause at any cost. On the contrary, the initial ten-day period is framed as a limited political step tied to Lebanon’s further behavior and the presence of progress in negotiations.

Why Israel is not tied down

The most important wording of the document concerns Israel’s right to self-defense. The text explicitly states that Israel retains the right to take all necessary measures at any time against planned, immediate, or ongoing attacks, and this right is not nullified by the ceasefire.

For the Israeli audience, this is a fundamental point. It means that even under the conditions of a truce, Israel is not obliged to turn a blind eye to the preparation of attacks, the transfer of forces, the creation of new firing positions, or other actions that could lead to a strike on Israeli territory. In other words, the document does not create a situation where Jerusalem must wait for an actual shelling before responding.

At the same time, the text also includes a limitation: Israel undertakes not to conduct offensive military operations against targets on Lebanese territory — civilian, military, or governmental — from land, air, or sea. But this limitation works precisely in conjunction with the previous reservation. That is, it is not about a complete refusal to use force, but an attempt to separate offensive actions from self-defense actions.

What Lebanon must do now

From the moment the agreement comes into force, the Lebanese government, with international assistance, is obliged to take concrete steps to prevent attacks, hostile actions, and operations by Hezbollah and all other non-state armed groups against Israeli targets. This is essentially Beirut’s central obligation.

If we translate diplomatic language into more direct terms, the meaning is this: Lebanon must prove that it can restrain Hezbollah and other armed structures not in words, but in practice. For Israel, this is not a theoretical issue, but a matter of everyday security for Galilee, northern settlements, and the entire line of contact.

Why the text is important specifically for Israel

For many years, Israel has faced a situation where southern Lebanon is formally considered the territory of a sovereign state, but in reality, forces operate there that make decisions about war and peace without control from official Beirut. The new document, from an Israeli perspective, is important because the US effectively acknowledges this problem in the text itself and demands that the Lebanese state demonstrate real sovereignty.

Moreover, the document specifically emphasizes that no other state or group has the status of a guarantor of Lebanon’s sovereignty. This is a very sensitive wording for a region where a dual reality has existed for too long — official Lebanon and armed players operating parallel to it. Now this duality is at least questioned on paper.

NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency in this context draws attention to another important point: the US is not just acting as a mediator, but is effectively creating a political framework in which the future of the truce depends on Lebanon’s ability to reduce the influence of Hezbollah and other non-state armed structures. For Israel, this means that the security issue in the north is now again tied not only to the military actions of the IDF but also to whether Beirut can at least once confirm its sovereignty in practice.

Peace or a short pause before a new crisis

Israel and Lebanon in the text confirm that they are not in a state of war and undertake to conduct direct negotiations mediated by the US for a comprehensive agreement that should bring lasting security, stability, and peace. The future demarcation of the international land border is also mentioned separately, which has always been one of the most sensitive issues in the relations between the two countries.

But it is precisely here that the main question arises. On paper, the document looks like a step towards stabilization. In practice, however, everything will depend on whether the text remains just a diplomatic maneuver or becomes the beginning of the real dismantling of Hezbollah’s armed autonomy on Lebanese territory. For Israel, this is the main test.

If Lebanon can show that it controls its territory, the agreements could become the basis for a more sustainable security model in the north. If not, the current ceasefire will remain just a short respite, followed by a new escalation. And therefore, the text published by the US is important not only as the news of the day but also as a document in which, for the first time, the simple idea is so openly enshrined: Israel is ready for a pause, but not at the cost of giving up the right to defend itself.