Hope for a de-escalation of the conflict in Lebanon is hanging by a\nthread after Hezbollah openly rejected a ceasefire plan mediated by the\nUnited States and already agreed upon by the Lebanese and Israeli\ngovernments. The rejection casts significant doubt over the future of\nhalting hostilities in Lebanon as well as the prospects for broader\npeace talks in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem on Thursday described the proposal as a\ndirect threat to Lebanese society, calling it a \u201croad map for the\nannihilation of part of the Lebanese people\u201d. He stressed that Hezbollah\nwould only accept a complete end to the war accompanied by a full\nwithdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory. Qassem also warned\nthat as long as villages in Lebanon remain targets of attack, northern\nIsrael will never be truly secure.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe call on the officials to end this farce and humiliation called\ndirect negotiations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The statement directly contradicts the agreement announced by the\nLebanese and Israeli governments a few days earlier. On Monday evening,\nboth governments agreed to implement a ceasefire to end hostilities that\nhave persisted over recent months. The deal requires a total halt to\nattacks by the Iran-allied Hezbollah and the withdrawal of all its\nfighters north of the Litani River.<\/p>\n
However, a major problem in implementing the agreement is the fact\nthat Hezbollah was not part of the negotiation process. Although the\nLebanese government was the party negotiating with Israel, the armed\ngroup is the entity directly involved in the conflict against Israel.\nThe Lebanese government is known to have conducted the negotiations\nwithout involving Hezbollah as part of an effort to restore state\ncontrol and disarm the group.<\/p>\n
Hezbollah\u2019s rejection now raises major questions about how the\nLebanese government can execute the ceasefire agreement if the main\nparty to the conflict does not consent to it. Lebanese Prime Minister\nNawaf Salam warned that parties obstructing or rejecting the ceasefire\nmust bear responsibility for the resulting consequences. \u201cThe\nnegotiation path we chose is the fastest and least costly route for\nLebanon, the Lebanese people, the southern region, and its residents,\u201d\nSalam said. He added that diplomacy remains the best option for Lebanon\ncompared to continuing an armed conflict that has caused significant\ncasualties and extensive damage.<\/p>\n
Hezbollah\u2019s rejection also threatens to shake up the security\narrangements that have been in place since the 17 April ceasefire. In\nthat agreement, Washington limited Israel\u2019s scope to attack Beirut in\nexchange for a halt to Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel. The group\u2019s\nstance is now seen as aligning with demands previously made by Iran. A\nfew hours after the latest ceasefire announcement, Tehran asserted that\nIsrael must withdraw to the positions it held before the war broke\nout.<\/p>\n
Commander of the Quds Force of Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard\nCorps (IRGC) Esmail Qaani said support for Hezbollah is a collective\nduty. \u201cSupporting the resistance in Lebanon is a duty for all of us, and\nremoving Israel from the region is an achievable goal for Muslims,\u201d he\nstated. In a post on Iranian domestic social media, Qaani also wrote:\n\u201cThe minimum demand of the resistance is the withdrawal of the usurping\nregime to the positions it held before the start of the 40-day war.\u201d<\/p>\n
Iran had previously stated that its own ceasefire with the US and\nIsrael must include a halt to the fighting in Lebanon. Consequently, it\nis unclear how Hezbollah\u2019s rejection of the latest deal will affect the\nongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington. Iran\u2019s Foreign\nMinistry on Thursday stressed that Lebanon is an inseparable part of any\npeace deal under discussion, calling the country \u201can integral part of\nevery ceasefire and every final agreement\u201d.<\/p>\n
On the ground, the conflict continues despite both governments\npreviously stating their commitment to the ceasefire. Israel launched\nseveral air strikes in the Nabatieh area of southern Lebanon and the\nwestern Bekaa Valley, killing four people. Meanwhile, Hezbollah claimed\nto have targeted Israeli soldiers in the village of Qantara, southern\nLebanon.<\/p>\n
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz asserted that his country will\ncontinue to maintain the freedom to conduct military operations. He said\nIsrael has \u201cfreedom of action, with the support of the United States, to\nstrike Beirut in response to attacks on Israeli communities and\nterritory\u201d. Katz also stated that Israeli forces will remain in southern\nLebanon to maintain a buffer zone that Israel says is necessary to\nprotect its residents in the north.<\/p>\n
Israel currently controls more than 600 square kilometres of southern\nLebanese territory. During the military operation, dozens of border\nvillages have been destroyed, preventing hundreds of Lebanese residents\nfrom returning to their homes. Amid the tensions, Lebanon and Israel\nhave also agreed to establish \u201cmodel zones\u201d, where the Lebanese Armed\nForces will take full control without the presence of non-state armed\ngroups. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said he proposed the first model\nzone be established around Beaufort Castle, which was captured by\nIsraeli forces earlier this week.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hezbollah-rejects-israel-lebanon-agreement-is-peace-just-a-dream-1780617044", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }