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Hezbollah Rejects Lebanon-Israel Talks
Hezbollah categorically rejected the direct Lebanon-Israel talks taking place in Washington.
“We are not bound by what they agree to”
Wafiq Safa told the Associated Press that we are not bound by what they agree to.
The talks mark the first face-to-face meeting between Lebanese and Israeli envoys in decades.
The Israel-Hezbollah war has killed more than 2,000 people in Lebanon since March 2.
Safa framed Hezbollah's entry into the war as preemptive.
The group dismissed Israeli claims that its strikes killed more than 250 Hezbollah militants in Beirut.
Lebanese Government Separates from Hezbollah
The Lebanese government is moving to separate Lebanon's official diplomacy from Hezbollah's influence.
Rajji told i24NEWS that the Lebanese state is the only authority authorized to negotiate on its behalf.
The government has instructed security forces to restrict weapons in Beirut exclusively to state institutions.
Hezbollah views the talks as a political concession extracted under military coercion.
The divide between the government and Hezbollah has grown increasingly tense.
Israel Demands Hezbollah Disarmament
Netanyahu has insisted that the talks focus on Hezbollah's disarmament.
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the goal is Hezbollah's disarmament”
Israel is continuing military operations against the group in parallel.
Netanyahu said there will be no ceasefire with Hezbollah even as talks proceed.
International and Regional Reactions
Pressure from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar was placed on Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to quell Hezbollah protests.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun expressed hope that the meeting would lead to broader direct negotiations and a permanent ceasefire.
