Hezbollah’s leader on Monday condemned Israel’s operations in Lebanon amid a fragile ceasefire, repeating the group’s rejection of direct negotiations between the Israeli and Lebanese governments.
Israel has kept up deadly strikes on Lebanon despite the April 17 ceasefire that sought to halt more than six weeks of war between its military and Hezbollah, with both sides accusing the other of violating the truce.
In Lebanon’s south near the Israeli border, the Israeli army has also demolished buildings and prevented residents of dozens of towns from returning.
“There is no ceasefire in Lebanon, but a continuous Israeli-American aggression,” Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said in a written statement broadcast by the al-Manar TV channel, which is affiliated with the Iran-backed militant group.
“Lebanon is the victim of aggression, and it is Lebanon that needs guarantees for its security and sovereignty” from Israel, he added.
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He criticised the direct talks, saying they put Lebanon “under tutelage”, and instead called for diplomacy that leads to an end to the war that began on March 2.
“Direct negotiations are a gratuitous concession, without results,” he said.
“So do not betray the resistance.”
The US embassy in Beirut had on Thursday called for a meeting between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which it said would be a “historic opportunity” for the Lebanese people “to shape their future”.
On Monday, the Israeli army carried out a series of strikes after a new evacuation order was issued to residents of four towns in southern Lebanon.
The ceasefire text — published by the US State Department — grants Israel the right to act against “planned, imminent or ongoing attacks” by Hezbollah.
Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed more than 2,600 people and displaced more than a million since the war began.
After initial talks took place between Lebanon and Israel, US President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire would last for 10 days, before a three-week extension was agreed after the second round.
AFP
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