The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has emphatically rejected the terms of a U.S.-backed ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. Read the full statement.
In a strongly-worded statement, Hezbollah’s leader Naim Qassem said negotiations had been ‘futile’ and ‘humiliating’ for Lebanon, and were rejected by “broad segments of the Lebanese people”.
The ceasefire was announced after Israel and Lebanon renewed a fragile truce, creating “pilot” security zones inside Lebanon where Hezbollah operatives would be banned.
In a joint statement released on Wednesday by the U.S. State Department, the three countries said the deal was contingent on a complete cessation of fire by Hezbollah.
Hezbollah, which was not part of the talks, stated that the “supposed ceasefire”, meaning a halt of attacks and withdrawal of fighters from the southern front, amounted to surrender and would meet Israel’s objectives.
Residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs—Hezbollah’s stronghold known as Dahieh—expressed doubts. A local storekeeper said, “You cannot have a ceasefire from one side, it’s going to be an all‑side or no ceasefire.”
Another businessman declared, “This is surrender. This is not a peace agreement. This is a surrender agreement.”
Hezbollah’s hand‑shake is conditional on the evacuation of all its operatives from an area between the Israeli border and the Litani River—about 30 km (19 miles) north of the border, currently occupied by Israeli ground forces.
According to the agreement, the U.S. will help guide the creation of pilot zones in which the Lebanese Armed Forces will take exclusive control of the territory, excluding all non‑state actors. No maps or detailed operational plans have been released.
The agreement follows a partial ceasefire announced on Monday, whereby Israel agreed not to bomb Beirut in exchange for Hezbollah ceasing attacks.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said the army would “for the time being” continue its fire to dismantle terrorist infrastructure. Lebanese media reported multiple Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon on Thursday.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says the ceasefire could be implemented within 24 hours of final approval. The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon reported the death of a peacekeeper from injuries sustained during shelling.
Hezbollah, an Iran‑backed militia, political party and social movement, has a formidable armed force. It has fought several conflicts with Israel and is considered a terrorist organisation by Israel, the U.K. and the U.S. Since the start of the war, at least 3,526 people have died in Lebanon, and over one million have registered as displaced.
