Hezbollah has rejected a renewed US-backed ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, describing the deal as a surrender that would serve Israeli interests while undermining Lebanon’s sovereignty.
In a strongly worded statement, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem dismissed the outcome of recent US-mediated negotiations, calling them “futile” and “humiliating” for Lebanon. He said the proposed arrangement had been rejected by broad segments of Lebanese society and warned that the group would not accept conditions requiring it to halt attacks on Israel and withdraw its fighters from southern Lebanon.
The rejection comes days after Israel and Lebanon announced a renewed ceasefire framework following a fourth round of talks in Washington. The agreement envisages the creation of pilot security zones in southern Lebanon where Hezbollah operatives would be barred and the Lebanese Armed Forces would assume exclusive control.
US President Donald Trump expressed optimism about the process, saying he had spoken with both Hezbollah representatives and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He suggested progress was being made toward reducing tensions along the border.
“I think you’re going to see things happen over there,” Trump said, adding that peace would be beneficial for a country that has endured years of conflict.
However, Hezbollah insisted the proposed arrangement amounted to a unilateral concession. Qassem argued that halting military operations and withdrawing fighters from the southern front would effectively achieve Israel’s objectives without securing guarantees for Lebanon.
The scepticism was echoed in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold known as Dahieh. Local residents questioned how a ceasefire could succeed while Israeli military operations continued inside Lebanon.
Sami, a shop owner in the area, told the BBC that a truce could not work if only one side complied.
“You cannot have a ceasefire from one side, it’s going to be an all side or no ceasefire,” he said.
He described the agreement as “surrender” rather than a genuine peace deal.
Another resident, Hadi, said decades of conflict had left many Lebanese doubtful that political agreements would deliver lasting stability.
Under the proposed agreement, Hezbollah fighters would leave an area stretching from the Israeli border to the Litani River, approximately 30 kilometres north. Israeli ground forces currently occupy parts of the region.
The United States would assist in establishing pilot zones where the Lebanese military would exercise sole authority, excluding all armed non-state actors. However, the agreement does not specify the exact locations of the zones or explain how they would function in practice.
The latest initiative follows a partial ceasefire announced earlier this week under which Israel agreed to suspend strikes on Beirut while Hezbollah refrained from launching attacks into Israel. Representatives from both countries are expected to meet again on June 22 for further discussions aimed at reaching a broader settlement.
While Lebanon’s government hopes the talks could eventually produce a lasting peace, Hezbollah appears determined to maintain its position as the primary force resisting Israel.
Fighting nevertheless continued on the ground. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said military operations would continue for now to dismantle what he described as terrorist infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
Lebanese media reported multiple Israeli strikes across the south on Thursday. The state-run National News Agency said five people were killed in air raids on the Bekaa Valley town of Sohmor, while another person died in a strike near the city of Tyre.
Lebanon’s health ministry later reported that at least eight people were killed and 15 others injured in attacks targeting Sohmor, Masaken and Arab Al-Jalil.
The violence also claimed the life of a United Nations peacekeeper. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) said one of its personnel died after mortar rounds struck a position near Marjayoun. Israel accused Hezbollah of firing the mortars, though the group had not commented on the allegation.
Serbia’s defence ministry identified the peacekeeper as Senior Sergeant Milovan Jovanovic.
Israel also announced that one of its soldiers, Capt Eitan Shmuel Lemberg, had been killed during operations in southern Lebanon.
Earlier, Hezbollah said it had launched drones and rockets against Israeli troops and military vehicles near Qantara and Beaufort Castle.
The conflict expanded dramatically in March after Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel following an Israeli strike that killed Iran’s supreme leader. Israel responded with a large-scale air campaign and ground offensive in southern Lebanon.
Efforts to end the war have repeatedly faltered. A US-brokered ceasefire reached in April failed to halt hostilities, while Israel intensified operations last week in response to continued rocket and drone attacks on northern Israeli communities.
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, at least 3,526 people have been killed since the conflict began. More than one million people have also registered as displaced, according to the United Nations.
Erizia Rubyjeana
Follow us on:
