Lead

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem on Friday said Israel has "no option" but to withdraw from Lebanese areas it occupies, adding that the Iran-U.S. deal that reduced fighting with Israel was an American-Israeli defeat. His televised speech was made as Shia Muslims across the country were marking Ashura, a day of mourning for the death of Hussein, a key figure in Shia Islam. Tens of thousands of supporters participated in a ceremony in Beirut's southern suburbs, waving Hezbollah and Iranian flags in the largest gathering organised by the pro-Iran group since the outbreak of war in March.

"Israel has no option but to withdraw completely from every inch of our Lebanese land... Israel must leave unconditionally," Qassem said, as reported by Al Jazeera and The Hindu.

Coverage Comparison

The demand comes as Israeli troops remain positioned deep inside southern Lebanon, according to Al Jazeera. Israeli officials insist they will stay in Lebanon, despite Iran saying Israel is obliged to withdraw under the terms of the interim US-Iran ceasefire agreement that also covers Lebanon. Qassem described the US-Iran agreement as an "official declaration of defeat" for the US and Israel, as reported by Al Jazeera.

While Israeli attacks in Lebanon have declined since the renewed ceasefire with Hezbollah started last week, they have not stopped, Al Jazeera reported. On Friday morning, an Israeli air raid hit the town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, while two people were reported killed by an earlier Israeli raid in the town of Mayfadoun. Israeli forces later dropped leaflets over the southern town of Mansouri, demanding residents leave, according to Lebanese state media. Israel's military reported that four of its soldiers, including two officers, were injured in close-quarter fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon's Beit Yahoun the day before.

In a separate speech delivered on Tuesday, Qassem said, "Israel has no choice but to fully withdraw from all Lebanese territory, without retaining an inch," as reported by the Jerusalem Post. He also stated, "We will cooperate with the Lebanese Army to the utmost extent, just as we cooperated previously, and Israel has no right to interfere in Lebanon's internal affairs," seemingly ignoring recent accusations from more than 400 Lebanese officials in recent days insisting that Iran cease its interference, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Qassem also said on Saturday that the Israel-Lebanon framework agreement signed in Washington is "null," a "humiliation" and a surrender of sovereignty, and should be replaced by the Iran-US memorandum, as reported by the Jerusalem Post. He warned that any attempt to link Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon to the group's disarmament crossed "red lines."

Key Claims

  • Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said Israel has no option but to withdraw from Lebanese areas it occupies, as reported by The Hindu and Al Jazeera.
  • The Iran-U.S. deal reduced fighting with Israel, which Qassem described as an American-Israeli defeat, as reported by The Hindu and Al Jazeera.
  • Tens of thousands of supporters participated in a ceremony in Beirut's southern suburbs, as reported by The Hindu.
  • Israel responded to Hezbollah's March 2 attack with airstrikes and an invasion that Lebanon says have killed more than 4,200 people, as reported by The Hindu.
  • A new ceasefire was declared this month as Tehran insists that its deal with the U.S. to end the West Asia war must include Lebanon, as reported by The Hindu.
  • Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the regional war on March 2 with rocket fire at Israel to avenge the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader in U.S.-Israeli strikes, as reported by The Hindu and the Jerusalem Post.
  • The renewed conflict left 20% of Lebanon's population displaced, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
  • Hezbollah has frequently decried the diplomatic talks with Israel, even seemingly threatening to return the country to a state of civil war in May, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
  • Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said the Washington-backed Israel-Lebanon agreement is null, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
  • Hezbollah supporters rioted in Beirut over the weekend following the signing of an agreement between Israel and Lebanon, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
  • The agreement has been celebrated by several regional powers, including Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
  • Israeli troops remain positioned deep inside southern Lebanon, as reported by Al Jazeera.
  • France and Italy have put forward an initiative to form an international coalition to help manage security arrangements and support Lebanon's armed forces, as reported by Al Jazeera.