Hezbollah chief slams Lebanese government over accord with Israel

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem targeted Lebanese leadership on Friday, accusing government officials of placing improper strain on the country's national army by carrying out a security framework negotiated with Israel to halt hostilities, AFP reported. The June trilateral arrangement, facilitated by the United States, mandates the disarming of the Lebanese group and the progressive withdrawal of Israeli troops from sectors of southern Lebanon. The accord directs the Lebanese Armed Forces to station troops in designated pilot zones vacated by Israeli forces. In a public address, Qassem challenged government figures, asking, “How can you accept this ongoing humiliation of the Lebanese army, exposing it to bombardment and Israeli pressures, instead of acting as its protectors?” Meanwhile, diplomatic sources told Reuters on Wednesday that negotiators from Israel and Lebanon have selected Britain, Italy, Switzerland, and Indonesia as prospective candidates for a panel to monitor the Lebanese army's positioning and oversee the clearing of Hezbollah infrastructure. Scrutinizing the proposed mechanism, Qassem argued that Israel is attempting to bind Lebanon to an inquiry committee that oversees the army’s operations. Hezbollah, which is not a party to the framework, maintains a firm stance against direct negotiations with Israel and refuses to surrender its arsenal. Despite Washington announcing plans to host another round of talks in Rome in early September, Qassem renewed Hezbollah’s opposition to the framework and urged Lebanese authorities to scrap the agreement entirely.