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Ceasefire rejected
Israel and Lebanon agreed to implement a conditional ceasefire after US-led talks in Washington, but Hezbollah rejected the terms and said the deal would mean “surrender, defeat and achieving the enemy’s goals.”
“On Wednesday, Israel and Lebanon announced yet another ceasefire – after they had seemingly already agreed to a truce on April 16”
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said negotiations had been “futile” and “humiliating” for Lebanon, and rejected categorically by “broad segments of the Lebanese people,” according to a statement carried by the BBC.
The agreement is contingent on the “evacuation of all [Hezbollah] operatives” from an area between the Israeli border and the Litani river, about 30km (19 miles) to the north, which is currently occupied by Israeli ground forces.
The deal also required the creation of “pilot” security zones inside Lebanon in which the Lebanese Armed Forces would take exclusive control of the territory to the exclusion of all non-state actors, with representatives to meet again on 22 June.
As the ceasefire was announced, Lebanese official media reported Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon on Thursday, and the BBC reported that Lebanese media said at least eight people were killed.
Beirut doubts, Trump talk
In Beirut’s southern suburbs, Sami, who has run his business there for 25 years, told the BBC, “You cannot have a ceasefire from one side, it's going to be an all side or no ceasefire.”
The BBC also reported that Donald Trump said he had spoken to Hezbollah and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and added, “I think you're going to see things happen over there”.
Hezbollah’s rejection was echoed in a written statement read on Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV, where Qassem said the agreement’s demand that Hezbollah fighters leave southern Lebanon under fire would mean “surrender, defeat and achieving the enemy’s goals.”
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the army would begin deploying in “pilot zones” in the country’s south, describing “The next step is practical and tangible: the deployment of the Lebanese army in pilot zones as a first phase,” according to the Guardian.
The BBC said Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stated the ceasefire “could be implemented within 24 hours of its final approval” by all concerned parties, while Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the Israeli military would “for the time being, continue its fire and operations on the ground.”
Humanitarian strain and next steps
The fighting and displacement continued to shape the stakes for Lebanon, with the CBS News report saying the UN more than doubled its aid appeal for Lebanon to nearly $640 million over six months.
CBS News quoted OCHA warning that “Repeated displacements, insufficient shelter capacity and limited prospects for safe return are deepening vulnerability,” and said another $331 million would be needed through the end of August.
The same CBS News report said Lebanon says Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,500 people since Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the wider Middle East war on March 2, firing rockets at Israel in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed Iran's supreme leader.
In parallel, the BBC reported that the agreement between Israel and Lebanon would be followed by further talks, with the two countries’ representatives meeting again on 22 June “with a view toward reaching a comprehensive agreement.”
DW also framed the immediate political requirement for Hezbollah, quoting Naim Qassem saying, “The ceasefire must be comprehensive, without a separation between the south and the rest of Lebanon, and without the Israeli enemy having the freedom to kill,” as the ceasefire terms were contested.
