Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem rejects US-mediated Israel-Lebanon framework

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has again rejected the US-mediated framework agreed upon by Israel and Lebanon in June, which proposes a gradual Israeli withdrawal in exchange for the disarmament of Hezbollah and the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces in designated zones. In televised remarks, Qassem labeled the agreement illegitimate, illegal, and humiliating, urging Lebanese authorities to cancel it. He accused the government of dishonoring the country and its people by pursuing the deal. Qassem further claimed that Hezbollah has successfully thwarted Israeli territorial ambitions and prevented the establishment of settlements in southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, diplomatic sources told Reuters that Britain, Italy, Switzerland, and Indonesia have been identified as potential members of a monitoring panel to oversee the deployment of the Lebanese army and the removal of Hezbollah infrastructure. Hezbollah, which is not a party to the framework, maintains its refusal to disarm or engage in direct negotiations. The group continues to violate the ceasefire, recently launching explosive drones toward Israeli forces near the Ali-Taher Ridge, prompting retaliatory strikes from the Israel Defense Forces.