Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the U.S.-brokered framework agreement between Jerusalem and Lebanon on Friday as a robust first step toward peace and a rejection of Iranian interference in the region.

The breakthrough could lead to a path of diplomatic normalization between the two countries, Lebanon and Israel, that are in a formal state of war. The framework agreement may impede the Iran-backed terrorist movement Hezbollah that has gained control over parts of the Lebanese state, according to experts.

Hezbollah and Israel have fought two wars since the terrorist organization joined Hamas’ invasion of Israel in Oct. 7, 2023 and following U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran in February.

US ENVOY NEARS LEBANON-ISRAEL CEASEFIRE THAT WOULD DISARM HEZBOLLAH TERROR GROUP

Rubio said, «Today is a good day in that we are happy to announce a framework agreement between the sovereign government of Lebanon and, of course, the government of Israel, with a mediation and support of the United States of America, that begins to put in place a framework for lasting peace and security.»

He added, «And that’s what these two nations deserve.»

According to the Press Service of Israel (TPS-IL), Netanyahu termed the deal «a severe blow to Iran.» He added that the Islamic Republic seeks to force an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, and «essentially Israel, Lebanon and the United States are telling them: This is none of your business. You have no role in southern Lebanon — neither you, nor Hezbollah nor any other terrorist organization.»

U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, wrote on X:» Was there all week but had to fly back to Israel Thursday night. Historic opportunity but key is disarming Hezbollah, evil terrorists who have killed Americans. Israel, Lebanon sign framework peace agreement following US-backed negotiations.»

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter applaud after signing a framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon with State Department Counselor Daniel Holler, and Lebanon’s Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh, at the State Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 26, 2026.  (Ken Cedeno/Reuters)

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun, in an Arabic-language X Post, thanked the U.S. administration, led by President Donald Trump, «for its efforts in hosting and facilitating the negotiations and for supporting Lebanon’s position.»

Rubio’s optimistic announcement encouraged some veteran Lebanon experts about a historic opportunity for peace, while others warned about the necessity to proceed with caution.

Guila Fakhoury, whose father, Amer, was kidnapped by Hezbollah in 2019, told Fox News Digital that «Today marks a historic achievement. For the first time since 1983, Lebanon and Israel have reached an agreement through direct negotiations. It also represents a fundamental shift in regional dynamics, demonstrating that Lebanon’s future need not be contingent upon broader regional negotiations or arrangements negotiated through proxy influence. In that sense, this agreement supersedes previous efforts to tie Lebanon’s stability and sovereignty to external agendas.»

Fakhoury, added, «If these commitments are fulfilled, this agreement could become the foundation for long-term cooperation, security, economic opportunity and shared stability that benefits both the Lebanese and Israeli people.»

HEZBOLLAH DISARMAMENT DEADLOCK RISKS CIVIL WAR, ANALYSTS SAY, AS US PREPARES FOR ISRAEL–LEBANON TALKS

Hezbollah al-Mahdi scouts parade with large portraits of Iran’s late leader Ayatollah Khomeini and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during an event for Jerusalem Day in Nabatiyeh, Lebanon, on Aug. 1, 2013. (Hussein Malla/AP Photo)

She continued, «However, whether this agreement brings lasting peace and stability will depend entirely on its implementation. The Lebanese state and its legitimate institutions must be the ones to create stability, not external actors or armed organizations operating outside government authority.»

Walid Phares, a leading U.S. expert on Lebanon and the Mideast, told Fox News Digital, «This agreement is just a ceasefire not a conduit to a larger peace deal. Hezbollah take orders from Iran. It’s clear Tehran will complain about such a deal and pressure the negotiators to get some statement from Washington asserting the Islamic Republic’s say over Lebanon. Hezbollah will attack the deal but will pray Israel won’t strike. The Trump administration will have to calibrate between the Rubio-sponsored agreement on Lebanon and the fragility of the situation in the Gulf.»

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump. (Avi Ohayon / GPO)

He added, «The regime is telling Hezbollah ‘keep the narrative up and radical but let us get the money first.’ Israel is giving its public something and mindful of Trump’s concerns about the deal with Iran. The Lebanese government is hoping their army does not have to engage. The only unknown is the ability of the Lebanese opposition to rise and resist Hezbollah. We are still inside the Lebanese status quo.»

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Hanin Ghaddar, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, wrote on X: «Absolutely a breakthrough,» This is the first agreement between Israel and Lebanon since 1983. A clear and loud ‘NO’ to Iran as it challenges its efforts to control Lebanon ‘s file.»

She added, «But as the 1983 agreement was toppled by the bad guys then (Assad regime), Iran will try everything to make sure this one fails as well. Lebanon and Israel have a responsibility in making sure this agreement is protected, and its implementation is successful. We will probably not have another chance.»

Las autoridades de Costa Rica refuerzan las acciones preventivas frente al Fenómeno de El Niño con una serie de charlas informativas dirigidas a las regiones con mayor riesgo de afectación. El Ministerio de Ambiente y Energía (MINAE) y el Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería (MAG) organizaron siete encuentros en la zona del Pacífico Norte, donde se concentra la mayor exposición a los efectos climáticos adversos previstos para 2026.

Según los organizadores, las jornadas forman parte de la Estrategia Nacional Contingente 2026-2027 y buscan dotar de información actualizada tanto a productores agropecuarios como a representantes de comités locales de emergencia, municipalidades, asociaciones administradoras de acueductos (ASADAs) y otros actores comunales. El enfoque principal radica en la capacitación para la adaptación y la mitigación de impactos en sectores clave como la agricultura, la ganadería, la pesca y la acuicultura.

La meteoróloga Karina Hernández, coordinadora de la Comisión Consultiva Técnica del ENOS (COENOS), explicó que los encuentros permitieron abordar consultas de los participantes, aclarar conceptos y adquirir compromisos para el envío de información adicional, así como el acceso a los pronósticos climáticos mensuales más recientes. “En todas las etapas de las reuniones se atendieron consultas, se explicaron conceptos, se escucharon propuestas, se adquirió el compromiso de enviar información adicional y el acceso a la actualización de los pronósticos climáticos mensuales”, detalló Hernández.

Las primeras charlas se realizaron entre el 25 y el 29 de mayo en localidades seleccionadas de la región de Chorotega y el Pacífico Central. La mayoría de los asistentes se dedica a la ganadería, aunque también participaron productores de melón, arroz, maíz, apicultores, agricultores de naranja y mango, y representantes de sectores pesquero y acuícola. Los especialistas enfatizaron la importancia de la prevención y la adaptación en cada finca para minimizar los posibles daños.

Durante las sesiones, el Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN) brindó una explicación detallada sobre el comportamiento actual del clima y las particularidades del Fenómeno de El Niño previsto para este ciclo. Los técnicos del MAG ofrecieron recomendaciones específicas para mitigar los efectos en el sector agropecuario, como la elaboración de ensilajes para alimentación animal, la gestión integral del recurso hídrico, la construcción de infraestructura verde para reducir las islas de calor en zonas urbanas y las medidas de hidratación para prevenir enfermedades en trabajadores.

En algunas de las charlas, personal del Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuicultura (INCOPESCA) expuso los posibles impactos sobre la pesca y la acuicultura, además de sugerencias para proteger la calidad del agua en los reservorios destinados al uso agropecuario. Entre las recomendaciones figura la cosecha de agua, el uso de alternativas para almacenar y oxigenar el recurso hídrico, la implementación de peces y sistemas de recirculación para evitar la proliferación de zancudos, así como la utilización de coberturas para reducir la evaporación.

Uno de los ejes destacados fue la asociatividad como mecanismo para acceder a recursos del Instituto de Desarrollo Rural (INDER), con el objetivo de fortalecer la infraestructura de almacenamiento de insumos como el ensilaje. Además, se insistió en la priorización del agua potable para el consumo humano ante la posibilidad de escasez.

La COENOS lleva a cabo sesiones extraordinarias mensuales desde marzo debido al incremento en la vigilancia del Fenómeno de El Niño. La información y la estrategia nacional pueden consultarse en la plataforma habilitada por la Comisión Nacional de Emergencias.

Las próximas actividades están previstas para Santa Bárbara de Heredia, Grecia, León Cortés, Tierra Blanca, San Ramón y Poás, ampliando así la cobertura de capacitación y prevención en todo el país.

“La labor conjunta entre instituciones y comunidades resulta fundamental para enfrentar los desafíos climáticos asociados al Fenómeno de El Niño”, remarcaron los organizadores en el cierre de la última jornada.

White House border czar Tom Homan erupted at critics of President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda Friday, recalling horrific scenes from his decades in border enforcement — including migrants he said were «baked to death» in a tractor-trailer — as he argued that secure borders save lives.

Homan used the graphic stories during remarks at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., to push back on critics who have accused the Trump administration of being inhumane, arguing instead that tougher border enforcement saves lives by deterring migrants from making dangerous journeys controlled by cartels.

«I want to talk about why I’m pissed off this morning,» Homan told the crowd, arguing that media coverage has falsely portrayed Trump’s immigration policies as cruel or inhumane.

BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN SLAMS CATHOLIC CHURCH, SAYS ‘SECURE BORDER SAVES LIVES’

«There’s nothing further from the truth,» Homan said. Rather, the border czar said critics have it backward, arguing that lax border enforcement creates the conditions for migrants to be exploited, assaulted or killed by smugglers and cartels. «What President Trump is doing is saving lives,» Homan told the crowd.

He then described one of the most graphic scenes he said he witnessed during his career in border enforcement.

«I’ve stood in the back of a tractor-trailer with 19 dead people at my feet,» Homan told the crowd at the Washington Hilton Friday morning, adding that the victims included a young boy and that they were found in their underwear while trying to escape extreme heat in the back of the truck.

«They all baked to death,» Homan said. «I got to that crime scene. They’re all in underwear, trying to get some relief from the 170 degree heat in the back of a steel truck with no air. Think of the way these people died.»

TRUMP BORDER CZAR HAS BLUNT MESSAGE FOR SELENA GOMEZ: ‘WHERE’S THE TEARS’ FOR SEX TRAFFICKED CHILDREN?

Texas Department of Public Safety said about 50 illegal immigrants were found in a junkyard tractor trailer in Webb County and turned over to Border Patrol. Five adult males who initially exited the trailer were apprehended. (Texas DPS)

Homan also said he has spoken with young girls who were raped by cartel members while making the journey to the U.S. border.

«I’ve gotten on my knees to talk to little girls as young as 9 that were raped multiple times by members of a cartel,» Homan said.

«That’s what happens when you have an unsecured border,» he added. «Well, guess what? There’s no little 9-year-old girl right now that everybody’s getting on their knees and talking to. President Trump has closed the border down.»

Homan repeatedly defended Trump personally and politically, saying the president has delivered the «most secure border in the history of this nation» and arguing that the administration’s immigration crackdown is aimed at preventing more deaths, trafficking and cartel exploitation.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda has faced criticism from Democrats and immigrant-rights advocates. (Michael M. Santiago and Nathan Howard / Getty Images)

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«Secure borders save lives,» Homan said near the end of his remarks. «Secure borders protect our national security. No one’s done it better than President Trump. And we ain’t finished yet.»

The remarks came as the Trump administration continues to face criticism from Democrats and immigrant-rights advocates over its mass deportation push, expanded immigration enforcement and efforts to reverse Biden-era border policies. Homan, however, framed the crackdown as a moral necessity, saying the administration is making the country safer while reducing incentives for migrants to place themselves in the hands of criminal cartels.