Hezbollah chief vows no ‘surrender’ as he again rejects Israel-Lebanon deal

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Friday again rejected a deal struck between Israel and Lebanon and said his Iran-backed terrorist group refused to “surrender” nearly six months after war erupted with Israel. “We are against the framework agreement and call for its downfall,” Qassem said in a televised address broadcast on the group’s Al-Manar television channel. Israel and Lebanon launched US-sponsored direct talks after Hezbollah waded into the US-Israel war with Iran on March 2 by attacking Israel, which responded with massive strikes and a ground invasion, seizing a self-declared “security zone” that runs around 10 kilometers (six miles) deep inside Lebanese territory along the border. At talks in late June, Lebanon and Israel signed a framework deal that calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the region, starting in “ pilot zones .” “The framework agreement is illegitimate, unlawful, humiliating, destructive to Lebanese sovereignty,” Qassem said. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms “We do not agree to the ‘pilot zones’ or to what comes from them,” he said, also rejecting any proposed verification system. After talks in Rome earlier this month, a Lebanese source told AFP that agreement was reached on a “shortlist” of countries that might oversee the implementation of the pilot zone process, namely the Lebanese army’s dismantlement of any Hezbollah infrastructure in the areas. A fresh round of talks had been planned for early September, but no date has been announced yet. Advertisement This photo taken from the southern Lebanese city of Tyre shows smoke rising following an Israeli strike that targeted the village of Biout es Sayed on August 26, 2026. (KAWNAT HAJU/AFP) Fighting has decreased since a US-Iran memorandum of understanding on the broader conflict in June and the Israel-Lebanon framework agreement later that month, though sporadic violence has continued. Israeli forces are operating inside a self-declared “security zone,” which runs around 10 kilometers (six miles) deep inside Lebanese territory along the border. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency on Friday reported several Israeli airstrikes in the country’s south including on the Nabatieh area, where it has increased attacks in recent days. Qassem said his terror organization supported the implementation of a November 2024 ceasefire that sought to end a previous war with Israel. “We will keep our heads high and we will not surrender,” he vowed. Help us report truthfully on social media As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos. This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world. If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism , please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. 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Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel Join Our Community Join Our Community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this Most Popular 1 IDF says Gaza mission canceled after religious troops refuse to serve with female paramedic 2 Netanyahu urges Ben Gvir, Smotrich to unite as poll shows Winter’s new party surging 3 Ben Gvir refuses Netanyahu’s demand to merge with Smotrich; Likud: He’s crowning Eisenkot 4 Trump seeks to sanction Tehran into submission rather than renew MOU, sources say 5 Op-ed Netanyahu feels the Winter chill 6 Norway’s King Harald V dies at age 89 after more than 35 years on throne 7 Eisenkot says two-state solution ‘delusional’ post-Oct. 7, but E1 settlement plan a ‘mistake’ 8 Analysis Going all in on sanctions, Trump limits how much he can squeeze out of Iran read more: Israel & the Region 2026 Israel-Hezbollah conflict Naim Qassem Hezbollah If you’d like to comment, join The Times of Israel Community. 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