Hezbollah leader rejects Lebanon, Israel deal as 'a humiliation'

Hezbollah’s leader dismissed a recently signed Israel–Lebanon framework deal as “a humiliation,” warning it may not work. In comments released after the agreement signed a day earlier in Washington, Hezbollah’s Naim Kassem said the group would continue fighting until Israel is forced to leave Lebanon, rejecting the linkage of Israel’s withdrawal to Hezbollah’s disarmament. The backdrop includes months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah and a record of earlier ceasefire efforts that Lebanon negotiated but were not implemented on the ground. The article cites that more than 4,000 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli strikes since March, shortly after Hezbollah fired at Israel two days after the Iran war began. Lebanon’s state news agency also reported an Israeli drone strike near Nabatiyeh after the deal, and said Israeli forces released three Lebanese and three Syrian workers held near Ain Arab. Netanyahu said Israel would keep forces in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah and other terrorist groups are disarmed, with “pilot zones” forming a first stage, while Israel Katz said the military is preparing for an extended stay.