Hezbollah Chief Naim Qassem Says Israel Must Withdraw From Lebanon Unconditionally

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem said Israel must withdraw from Lebanon “humiliated” and without conditions in a televised speech marking Ashura, the culmination of a 10-day mourning period observed by Shiite Muslims.

“Toggle Play Hezbollah: Israel must 'unconditionally' leave Lebanon Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem says Israel has “no option” but to “unconditionally” withdraw from southern Lebanon and other areas under its occupation”

Al Jazeera

Qassem told Lebanese authorities that any settlement should preserve Lebanon’s full sovereignty and independence, adding that there will be “no normalization and no end to the state of enmity, no gains for Israel, and no partial presence on Lebanese territory.”

Al Jazeera

He said Israel has “no option” but to withdraw fully from every inch of Lebanon, while describing Iran as the “path to salvation.”

The UPI report said Hezbollah resumed fighting last March in support of Iran, battling advancing Israeli forces and inflicting casualties among their ranks, and it cited the Lebanese Health Ministry’s latest casualty count released Friday: 4,230 killed and 12,179 wounded since March 2.

As Lebanese and Israeli negotiating teams resumed their U.S.-mediated talks in Washington, UPI said the discussions were extended by an extra day to resolve disagreements over proposed “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon and a formula for withdrawal and Lebanese army takeover.

Israel and Lebanon signed a framework deal after four days of talks in Washington, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying Israel will withdraw from two areas in southern Lebanon and transfer the sites to the Lebanese military.

CNN reported that Netanyahu said one area for IDF pullback is north of the Litani River and a second is south of the river, while Lebanon’s Ambassador to the US, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, said the agreement would be the “first step on the road to restoring Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Al-Monitor

In parallel, Ynetnews said the framework establishes two pilot zones from which the IDF will withdraw and the Lebanese army will deploy in their place, one north of the Litani River and the other to its south, and it said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio led the negotiations alongside Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Mouawad.

Ynetnews quoted Rubio saying “There's a lot of work ahead,” describing the agreement as only “the beginning of the beginning,” while it also said Netanyahu described the deal as a “great achievement for the State of Israel.”

Hezbollah’s opposition to the talks surfaced through Hassan Fadlallah, whom CNN described as rejecting direct negotiations with Israel and calling on the government to “retract these negotiations and all the decisions they have made against their people.”

The Al-Arabiya TV account said Hezbollah sources argued that Lebanese authorities “have given the occupation a mandate to stay on Lebanese soil,” and it said the party would “not accept anything but a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.”

“As US talks stall, Hezbollah chief defiant, says Israel to leave Lebanon ’humiliated' The speech comes as the Lebanese-Israeli talks appeared to reach a deadlock this week amid Israel’s refusal to withdraw from Lebanese territory as long as Hezbollah remains armed”

Al-Monitor

It also quoted Hassan Fadlallah warning that imposing the agreement would not happen except through “civil war,” and it said he accused the Lebanese government of being unable to implement it without external support.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the agreement establishes a clear path aimed at restoring Lebanon’s sovereignty, disarming Hezbollah, and dismantling its military structure, and the report said the agreement includes creating a trilateral military coordination group with American facilitation to monitor implementation.

The Al-Arabiya TV report said Rubio added that Washington will provide financial and logistical support, including more than $30 million to the Lebanese Armed Forces and $100 million in humanitarian aid in coordination with the United Nations.

Netanyahu, according to the same report, stressed that Israel will not withdraw from southern Lebanon before Hezbollah is fully disarmed, while he said Lebanese civilians displaced from the “security zone” were not allowed to return to their homes.