Hezbollah dismisses the US-brokered security agreement between Israel and Lebanon, labeling it as an act of ‘surrender’
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem dismissed a U.S.-brokered security agreement between Lebanon and Israel on Saturday, just one day after its signing, characterizing it as a surrender to Israel.
In a recent instance of continued conflict despite numerous ceasefires and agreements, Israel executed a drone strike in southern Lebanon.
The ongoing conflict, which has unfolded alongside the broader Iran war, has forced over a million Lebanese to leave their homes. Hezbollah and Iran claim that Washington has promised to cease hostilities in Lebanon, as outlined in the memorandum of understanding signed two weeks ago to conclude the broader conflict.
The framework established on Friday outlines a gradual Israeli withdrawal from certain areas of southern Lebanon, in conjunction with the deployment of the Lebanese army. Israeli forces would be allowed to stay in an expanded security zone for the moment while awaiting further implementation.
In a statement, Qassem described it as “null and void” and accused the Lebanese government of making unilateral concessions that undermine Lebanon’s sovereignty.
He expressed disapproval of the provisions that connected Israel’s withdrawal to Hezbollah’s disarmament, asserting that they essentially legitimized Israel’s military presence and crossed “all red lines.”
The group would persist in its armed resistance, he stated: “We did not abandon the battlefield in the most challenging circumstances, and we will not do so now.
Lebanon’s state news agency reported that an Israeli drone targeted Nabatieh al-Fawqa on Saturday. The area lies beyond the security zone indicated on a map released by Israel, outlining the territory that its troops will maintain control over.
The Israeli military informed Reuters that it executed the strike using a drone, as there were no troops present in the immediate vicinity. It stated that it aimed at an individual who represented a threat to its forces, without providing additional details or evidence.
Qassem stated that the Iran-U.S. memorandum of understanding established earlier this month, which ensures Lebanon’s territorial integrity, ought to be the foundation for resolving the conflict, rather than the agreement reached in Washington on Friday.
