Hezbollah rejects the ceasefire agreement and insists on a complete Israeli withdrawal

Beirut —
Hezbollah rejected on Thursday the latest ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Lebanese government, affirming that any calm cannot be acceptable without a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territories.

The party's stance came after Israeli airstrikes that killed at least four people, according to local authorities, in addition to the death of a United Nations peacekeeping force member during an exchange of fire.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said that demanding the party’s fighters to withdraw from southern Lebanon under bombardment means, in his words, “surrender, defeat, and achieving the enemy’s goals.”

He added that the party’s priority is to stop Israeli attacks, end military operations, and for Israel to withdraw from the areas it entered in the south.

Qassem confirmed that the party has not made any commitment to stop resistance as long as the Israeli presence remains, reflecting the complexity of the chances to establish a ceasefire and turn it into a stable calm.

The escalation in Lebanon comes at a highly sensitive regional moment, as the Lebanese front is linked to broader efforts to end the war with Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy passages.

Tehran insists that any lasting ceasefire agreement must include Lebanon, while Israel continues its military operations in the south, and Hezbollah links the cessation of its attacks to ending the Israeli presence.

In Washington, US President Donald Trump tried to downplay the diplomatic setback, despite criticism he faces in Congress, saying that ceasefires in the Middle East often mean “less intense firing.”

Developments indicate that the ceasefire agreement remains fragile, and the disagreement over Israeli withdrawal and Hezbollah’s role in the south may keep Lebanon an open arena for escalation, even as international efforts continue to prevent the war from expanding in the region.