Hezbollah chief demands Israeli withdrawal as Washington talks continue
Naim Qassem said Israel must leave Lebanon without conditions while US-mediated negotiations were extended in Washington.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem demanded that Israel remove all of its forces from Lebanon without conditions, sharpening the political stakes as US-mediated talks between Lebanon and Israel continued in Washington. Al Jazeera reported that the latest round of negotiations was extended by another day as mediators sought an agreement.
Qassem made the demand in a televised address on Friday during Ashura, the Muslim holy day. According to Al Jazeera, he said Israel had “no option” but to leave Lebanese territory and called the US-Iran ceasefire arrangement an “official declaration of defeat” for the United States and Israel.
Israeli troops remain inside southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reported. Israeli officials have said they intend to stay in Lebanon, while Iran has said Israel is required to withdraw under an interim US-Iran ceasefire agreement that also includes Lebanon.
The renewed ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah began last week, and Al Jazeera reported that Israeli strikes have decreased since then but have continued. On Friday morning, an Israeli air raid struck Nabatieh al-Fawqa, while two people were reported killed in an earlier Israeli strike on Mayfadoun, according to Al Jazeera.
Lebanese state media said Israeli forces later dropped leaflets over Mansouri in southern Lebanon ordering residents to leave, Al Jazeera reported. Israel’s military said four of its soldiers, including two officers, were wounded a day earlier in close-range combat with Hezbollah in Beit Yahoun, according to the broadcaster.
Talks focus on territory and disarmament
Lebanese and Israeli officials began direct talks in Washington in April, Al Jazeera reported. Johnny Tannous, reporting for Al Jazeera from Lebanon, said a fifth round was set to continue Friday after negotiators added another day to the schedule.
Reuters reported that recent discussions have centered on a US-supported plan under which Israel would transfer some occupied areas to Lebanon’s army. A US State Department official told Reuters that Israel had taken a concrete step toward that plan by leaving part of a buffer zone in southern Lebanon, but Lebanon’s military told Al Jazeera that no such pullback had occurred.
Al Jazeera correspondent Zeina Khodr reported from Beirut that Israel appeared to be linking any withdrawal to Hezbollah’s full disarmament. She said Israel was also pressing Lebanon’s army to dismantle Hezbollah facilities north of the Litani River, an area Israel has not occupied.
Khodr, citing security sources, reported that Israel believes continued attacks on frontline villages improve its leverage with Lebanon’s government. Former Lebanese diplomat Tracy Chamoun told Al Jazeera that Lebanon wants a comprehensive ceasefire that Israel will observe, along with an Israeli withdrawal, and said the Washington meeting did not appear to be producing Israeli commitments on those points.
Hezbollah rejects normalisation
Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc has rejected direct negotiations with Israel and urged Lebanese authorities not to allow Israel to test security arrangements north of the Litani River, Tannous reported. Qassem, who has repeatedly criticized the talks, said Hezbollah would accept “no normalisation, no cancellation of the state of hostility, no gains for Israel,” according to Al Jazeera.
Qassem also called on Lebanese authorities to close ranks against Israel and said Hezbollah would support the government if it pursued Lebanese sovereignty, Al Jazeera reported. Khodr said the remarks were aimed at the Lebanese delegation in Washington.
France and Italy have proposed forming an international coalition to help oversee security arrangements and support Lebanon’s armed forces after the planned departure of the UNIFIL peacekeeping force at the end of the year, according to Al Jazeera. Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun welcomed the proposal, saying it showed international support for Lebanon’s sovereignty and stability.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.