Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has rejected a U.S.-brokered security agreement between Lebanon and Israel, describing it as a surrender to Israel a day after the framework was signed.
In a statement, Qassem declared the agreement “null and void,” accusing the Lebanese government of making unilateral concessions and undermining the country’s sovereignty.
The framework provides for a phased Israeli withdrawal from parts of southern Lebanon alongside the deployment of the Lebanese Army. However, Israeli forces would be permitted to remain in an expanded security zone for the time being.
Qassem criticized provisions linking Israel’s withdrawal to Hezbollah’s disarmament, arguing that they effectively legitimize Israel’s military presence in Lebanon and cross what he described as “all red lines.”
He said Hezbollah would continue its armed resistance, maintaining that the group would not abandon the battlefield despite the latest agreement.
Opposition to the deal also extended beyond Hezbollah. The Amal Movement, led by parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri, criticized the agreement as unbalanced and said it would reinforce conditions favoring Israel.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz welcomed the framework, saying it allows Israel to maintain a security zone in southern Lebanon while restricting the return of displaced residents to certain areas.
Hostilities also continued despite the agreement. According to Lebanon’s state news agency, an Israeli drone struck the town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa in southern Lebanon on Saturday. The Israeli military confirmed carrying out the strike, saying it targeted an individual who posed a threat to its forces, though it did not provide further details.
The latest developments come as more than one million Lebanese remain displaced following months of conflict that unfolded alongside the broader regional confrontation involving Iran.
Qassem also said the earlier Iran-U.S. memorandum of understanding, which he said guarantees Lebanon’s territorial integrity, should serve as the basis for ending the conflict rather than the newly signed Washington-backed security framework.
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