Hezbollah rejects US‑mediated Lebanon‑Israel peace agreement

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem condemned the US‑brokered preliminary peace pact between Lebanon and Israel as “humiliating, shameful and invalid,” saying it crosses all red lines because it ties an Israeli withdrawal to the complete disarmament of the militia. The agreement, signed in Washington and guaranteed by the United States, calls for a gradual pull‑back of the Israeli Defence Forces from occupied areas in southern Lebanon in exchange for Hezbollah handing over its arsenals to the Lebanese army.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the deal as a “hard blow to Iran and Hezbollah,” emphasizing that Israel will retain the right to keep troops in the region as long as a threat persists. He warned that Iran’s attempts to force an Israeli retreat would be rebuffed. Netanyahu also stressed that the pact does not limit Israel’s right to self‑defence. Hezbollah’s outright rejection raises tensions along Israel’s northern border, threatens the fragile UNIFIL mission, and complicates ongoing US‑Iran nuclear negotiations.