Hezbollah has rejected the trilateral agreement between the U.S., Israel and Lebanon, calling it a “humiliation” and a “disgrace.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the deal on Friday after several days of negotiations, though there were no substantial differences from the ceasefire that Israel and Lebanon were already operating under, which also did not involve negotiations with the Iranian-backed, Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group.
“The Framework Agreement in Washington is a humiliation, a disgrace, and a surrender of sovereignty,” Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem said in a lengthy statement picking apart the deal. “This agreement is null and void, and the provisions of the Iranian-American Memorandum of Understanding must be implemented.Â
“We will continue, through all necessary means and international and Arab pressure, to ensure that the Israeli enemy complies with the first article of the Memorandum of Understanding and withdraws from Lebanon.”
The first part of the 14-point memorandum of understanding signed between the U.S. and Israel 10 days ago calls for the “immediate and permanent end to military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon” and, according to a senior U.S. official, ensures “the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon.”Â
Israel has indicated it has no plans to withdraw from southern Lebanon and the trilateral agreement signed Friday seems to contradict the MOU. The trilateral agreement states Israel will exit Lebanese territory only “pending the verified disarmament of non-state armed groups and dismantlement of associated infrastructure,” a reference to Hezbollah.
Qassem stated in their rejection of Friday’s deal: “We will continue as a Resistance in the field until the occupation is defeated. We did not abandon the battlefield in its most difficult moments, and we will not abandon it now, for this is the path to goodness and salvation.”
