Iran demands withdrawal of Israeli troops as condition of deal with US
The pro-Iran group Hezbollah rejected the announced conditional truce by the Lebanese and Israeli authorities this Thursday (4), demanding, instead, a comprehensive ceasefire and Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon.
“The ceasefire must be global (…) and without permission to kill in the name of the enemy in Lebanon,” said Hezbollah leader Naim Qasem in a message broadcast on the Al Manar channel, belonging to his movement.
Israeli and Lebanese envoys carried out the fourth round talks in Washington on Wednesday. They agreed to a ceasefire conditional on the suspension of Hezbollah attacks and the withdrawal of all members of the group from the area south of the Litani River, which is approximately 30 kilometers north of the border between Lebanon and Israel.
Surrender and defeat
For Fathers, a Hezbollah withdrawal would amount to “surrender and defeat”. A senior Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to AFP that the group rejects the ceasefire. The decision was communicated “to the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri”, an ally of the Shiite organization, he said.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun I was waiting for the group’s response to the previous day’s agreement, which he described as a “last chance” to achieve a comprehensive ceasefire.
Qasem urged the government to stop “the farce and humiliation called direct negotiations” with Israel. “As long as our people are not safe (…) the settlements (in northern Israel) will not be safe,” he added.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced that the army will begin mobilizing “in pilot zones” in the south of the country, which he considers a “tangible” first step, but the population remains skeptical.
“This is not the first time that a ceasefire has been announced and Israel has violated it“, Mohamad Chamsedin, 56, who abandoned his home on the outskirts of Beirut, told AFP.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that the army “will continue its attacks and ground operations for now.” Israeli forces maintain “freedom of action, with American supportto attack Beirut in response to the bombing of Israeli communities and territory,” he added.
The Israeli army has again ordered the evacuation of the entire area south of the Zahrani River, about 40 kilometers north of the border, while troops “continue attacking” Hezbollah infrastructure in that sector.
Lebanese state news agency NNA reported Israeli drone attacks in several cities in the south and east of the country. Furthermore, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) announced that one Serbian peacekeeper died and two others were injured after a bombing hit his base on Wednesday night in southern Lebanon.
Hard setback
The situation on the Lebanese front affects negotiations between the United States and Iranwhich demands the cessation of hostilities in Lebanon as a condition for an agreement to end the regional war that broke out in February.
Although US President Donald Trump appears optimistic, attacks continue sporadically in the Gulf and negotiations are stalled.
The Revolutionary Guards, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic of Iran, demanded the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Lebanon. “Supporting the resistance in Lebanon is the duty of each of us,” wrote Gen. Esmail Qaani, head of the Quds Force, the Guard’s foreign operations arm.
Israel and Lebanon had alreadyagreed to a ceasefire on April 17but it never translated into genuine calm on the ground. Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the regional war that began with the US and Israel offensive against Iran on February 28th.
Os Israeli bombings killed more than 3,500 people and have displaced more than a million in Lebanon since March 2, the start of hostilities between these two countries, according to Lebanese authorities. On the Israeli side, 26 soldiers and one civilian contractor died in Lebanese territory.
Trump wants to “separate” the Lebanese front from the Iranian front to put an end to an unpopular war among Americans. On Wednesday (3), the US House of Representatives called for an end to the war in a vote on a symbolic resolution that Trump classified it as unpatriotic.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said in a statement that the The United States and Israel are trying to “divide” their country after suffering a “hard setback” in the war.
