Hezbollah rejected a ceasefire framework announced by the United States after talks between Lebanon and Israel, while Israeli forces continued airstrikes and military operations in southern Lebanon.
The United States said that Lebanon and Israel had agreed to implement a ceasefire under which the Iran-backed Hezbollah group would halt attacks and withdraw its fighters from areas near the Israeli border.
However, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected the plan, saying the group was not a party to the negotiations and describing the U.S.-backed declaration as “a roadmap for the annihilation of a section of the Lebanese people and the enslavement of the rest.”
“As long as the occupation exists, the resistance will continue,” Qassem said in a statement.
Fighting between Hezbollah and Israel resumed on March 2 after the group launched attacks in support of Iran during the latter’s conflict with the United States and Israel. Despite several ceasefire announcements from Washington since April, hostilities have continued.
The conflict has become a major obstacle in diplomatic efforts aimed at easing broader regional tensions. Iran has repeatedly demanded an end to Israeli military operations in Lebanon as part of any wider agreement.
Qassem said any ceasefire arrangement must address southern Lebanon, where Israel has established what it describes as a security zone to protect northern Israeli communities from Hezbollah attacks.
He warned that northern Israeli towns would remain unsafe as long as Lebanese villages continued to face bombardment and destruction.
The commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Quds Force said the “minimum demand of the resistance” was an Israeli withdrawal to positions held before the current conflict and before Israeli troops entered southern Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said military operations would continue despite the ceasefire announcement.
“Israel will, for the time being, continue its fire and operations on the ground,” Katz said, adding that Israeli forces would continue dismantling what he described as Hezbollah infrastructure.
The Israeli military also issued warnings to residents in southern Lebanon, saying operations against Hezbollah targets were ongoing.
