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US blames Hezbollah
A US government official told Israel’s i24NEWS that Hezbollah “bears sole responsibility for the presence of Israel on Lebanese soil,” adding that “Hezbollah must be disarmed and dismantled as an organization.”
“[Hezbollah] bears sole responsibility for the presence of Israel on Lebanese soil”
In parallel, a US State Department spokesperson told i24NEWS that “the pilot-zone process remains the only viable path toward long-term peace and security for Lebanon and Israel.”
The dispute is playing out as Israel and Lebanon argue over how to secure an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory while addressing demands for Hezbollah to surrender its weapons, with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam calling for a clear timetable for Israeli forces to withdraw.
Salam’s talks with US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and General Joseph Clearfield, who leads the US military coordination group for Lebanon, also focused on negotiations with Israel and the security situation in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem challenged the Lebanese approach by arguing that negotiations have produced “insufficient benefits for Lebanon” while exposing the Lebanese army to Israeli military pressure.
Strikes, ceasefire, retaliation
Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office said Hezbollah violated the ceasefire in Lebanon by attacking its soldiers in the security zone, and the IDF said the three soldiers were wounded by an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah.
The IDF responded by striking the Hezbollah terror headquarters that ordered the attack, and the Prime Minister’s Office said “The Hezbollah attack seriously injured three of our soldiers.”
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned “ongoing Israeli attacks” in southern Lebanon as a violation of the Framework Agreement, while Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called on Israel to “halt its military escalation” in Southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah said Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon would be “met accordingly,” framing the escalation as “the desire and intention of the enemy’s criminal prime minister, Netanyahu, to escalate the war.”
CNN Arabic reported that Israel said it killed Abu Hasan Alaa, a prominent Hezbollah commander of the Battle Vanguard Unit, in the Deyr Azzahrani area, and said the strike followed attacks that killed at least 11 people, including women and children, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Framework at stake
The US-backed framework remains uncertain as Israel maintains its presence in Southern Lebanon while Hezbollah refuses to disarm, with negotiations between Israel and Lebanon described as continuing in a state of flux since the trilateral framework was signed in June.
“Lebanon and Israel are set to hold an eighth round of American-brokered negotiations in Rome”
The BBC reported that Lebanon and Israel are set to hold an eighth round of American-brokered negotiations in Rome at the start of next month, as Israel announced it targeted a leadership headquarters in the Ansar area and eliminated Ali Samir Al-Haj Hassan, a sector commander in the Ridwan force.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun condemned the “continuing Israeli assaults” on the south and its repeated violations of the framework agreement and international law protecting civilians, calling the raids a “clear message” to the negotiation path.
Hezbollah, for its part, said Israeli attacks on Lebanon will be met with “what is appropriate,” and called on Lebanese authorities to halt negotiations, describing them as “humiliating with Israel.”
In Washington’s framing, a US State Department spokesperson told Sky News Arabic that “disarming Hezbollah is an integral part of this process,” while also saying the United States looks forward to completing Lebanese army mine-clearing and ordnance-removal operations in the first experimental areas before expanding the operation.
