Hezbollah rejects the agreement between Lebanon and Israel ceasefire agreement Kászem Náim, head of the Lebanese Shiite organization, announced on Thursday. In his statement broadcast on Lebanese television, Kászem said: the published agreement is actually a scenario that means the destruction of one part of the Lebanese people and the subjugation of the rest.
At the same time, he asked the Lebanese leadership to immediately break off direct negotiations with Israel, which he called “futile, a ridiculous farce” and “humiliating”, which were categorically rejected by “broad sections of the Lebanese people”.
Lebanese media reported several Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday. Israel’s military said it had spotted several “suspicious aerial targets” struck in southern Lebanon on Thursday afternoon, in areas where Israeli troops are stationed, but there were no reports of injuries. Hezbollah previously said it attacked Israeli troops and military vehicles with drones and missiles on Thursday.
The head of the Shiite organization rejected the ceasefire after the US State Department announced on Wednesday evening that an agreement had been reached between Lebanon and Israel to implement a ceasefire, the condition of which was the cessation of hostilities by Hezbollah and the withdrawal of members of the armed organization from the area of the Litani River in southern Lebanon.
The diplomatic settlement is also complicated by the fact that the commander of the Quds Force behind Hezbollah, that is, the special elite unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard responsible for foreign operations, stated that the basic condition of the agreement is for the Israeli army to withdraw to its pre-war positions.
The agreement also created tension within Israel: National Security Minister Itamár Bengvír called the ceasefire a “serious mistake” because, according to him, the Lebanese army would not be able to persuade the militia to comply with the agreement.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters before the announcement that he hoped they would be able to develop “an action plan independent of Hezbollah to establish security (in Lebanon).” The two countries will meet again on June 22 for further talks “to reach a comprehensive agreement”. (MTI, BBC)
