Efforts to secure a new ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon have suffered a major setback after Hezbollah rejected a U.S.-brokered agreement aimed at ending months of cross-border fighting.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem dismissed the deal, insisting the group would not stop its operations while Israeli forces remain inside Lebanese territory.
He argued that any agreement requiring Hezbollah fighters to withdraw from southern Lebanon without a complete Israeli withdrawal would amount to surrender.
Israel, however, signaled that its military presence in southern Lebanon will continue.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces would maintain security operations in the area and respond to any future attacks, despite the ceasefire framework announced by Washington.
The proposed agreement, backed by the United States, called for the Lebanese Armed Forces to take control of designated zones in southern Lebanon while Hezbollah would halt attacks and pull back its fighters.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun described the initiative as an important opportunity to restore stability, but Hezbollah’s rejection has cast doubt on its implementation.
