The leader of the Iran-backed Hezbollah on Thursday publicly rejected the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel, saying the deal does not consider his group’s demands and would require its fighters to surrender to Israeli forces.
Naim Qassem, who has served as Hezbollah’s secretary general since the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah in 2024, said the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon is a nonnegotiable condition for a stable ceasefire.
He added that Hezbollah demands that Israel allow for the return of displaced residents from Lebanon’s southern territories, the release of Lebanese prisoners and a plan for rebuilding destroyed buildings for any peace deal.
“What we are concerned about is an end to the aggression, ceasefire and Israel’s withdrawal,” Mr. Qassem said in a statement read on Hezbollah-affiliated news station Al-Manar TV. “We did not make any commitment to any party to stop resisting as long as there is occupation.”
Hezbollah has officially informed Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who has been an active participant in U.S.-brokered negotiations with Israel, of its opposition to the agreement.
The Iran-backed militia and political party is not controlled by the Lebanese government and has not been a party to the negotiations between Israel, the U.S. and Lebanon. The organization’s leadership has repeatedly said it would not abide by anything agreed to during the talks.
Israel’s military continued targeting Hezbollah fighters on Thursday, just hours after the Trump administration said it had hammered out a new ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon.
According to the agreement, the Lebanese military would create “pilot zones” where Hezbollah fighters would be banned. The new deal reiterates Israel’s demand that Hezbollah be fully disarmed.
Hezbollah said Thursday that it fired dozens of rockets at Israeli troops near the southern border, and Israel said fighting in the region will continue, warning residents against returning to the area.
Iran has insisted that any comprehensive peace deal with the U.S. is contingent on Israel ceasing its invasion of Lebanon. This week, the Islamic republic threatened to stop participating in negotiations over Israel’s bombing campaign in Lebanon.
