Hezbollah Chief Again Rejects Lebanon-Israel Deal, Refuses "Surrender"
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has publicly rejected a US-sponsored framework agreement aimed at ending hostilities with Israel. The deal, which includes the disarmament of Hezbollah and the deployment of the Lebanese army, is dismissed by the group as a surrender of sovereignty.
Why it matters
The rejection stalls diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, prolonging regional instability and humanitarian concerns in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Friday again rejected a deal struck between Israel and Lebanon and said his Iran-backed group refused to "surrender" nearly six months after war erupted with Israel."We are against the framework agreement and call for its downfall," Qassem said in a televised address broadcast on the group's Al-Manar television channel.Israel and Lebanon launched US-sponsored direct talks after Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war on March 2 by attacking Israel, which responded with massive strikes and a ground invasion that Lebanese authorities say have killed more than 4,300 people.At talks in late June, Lebanon and Israel signed a framework deal that calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from south Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the region, starting in "pilot zones"."The framework agreement is illegitimate, unlawful, humiliating, destructive to Lebanese sovereignty," Qassem said."We do not agree…
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