Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem rejected as ‘humiliating’ and ‘disgraceful’ a proposed security arrangement that would exclude the group from areas south of the Litani River, as Israeli leaders weighed the framework in a high-level security meeting.
“The result of the direct, humiliating and disgraceful negotiations is rejected by broad parts of the Lebanese people.” He added, “The Washington declaration conditions the basic principles that America and Israel want, toward the subjugation of Lebanon to the Greater Israel project.”
Qassem’s remarks came after Israel and Lebanon announced Wednesday that they had agreed to establish a series of pilot security zones in southern Lebanon from which Hezbollah would be excluded. Under the arrangement, Hezbollah’s presence south of the Litani River would effectively come to an end.
Israeli officials continued discussions on the proposal Thursday. According to an Israeli official cited by The Times of Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a security cabinet meeting at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv early Thursday evening to discuss the ceasefire framework announced the previous night.
Earlier in the day, Netanyahu visited the northern Israeli town of Shlomi, where he reiterated his government’s commitment to protecting communities along the border.
“We will continue to act decisively against all threats,” Netanyahu said.
Approximately 30 minutes after Netanyahu departed the town, drone alerts sounded across parts of northern Israel, including Shlomi.
