Key facts
- Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has again rejected a framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel.
- Qassem stated that Hezbollah refuses to 'surrender'.
- The deal, signed in late June, includes the disarmament of Hezbollah and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.
- Qassem described the agreement as 'illegitimate, unlawful, humiliating, and destructive to Lebanese sovereignty.'
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has once again rejected a framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel, asserting that his group would not 'surrender.' The pronouncement comes nearly six months after Israel initiated its war on the country. Qassem, speaking in a televised address broadcast on Al-Manar, declared, 'We are against the framework agreement and call for its downfall.' The US-mediated deal, signed in late June, stipulates the disarmament of Hezbollah, a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the region. Qassem characterized the agreement as 'illegitimate, unlawful, humiliating, and destructive to Lebanese sovereignty.'