Advertisement

Hezbollah chief rejects cease-fire extension; says Israel must withdraw without delay

"We don’t accept any extension of the deadline, and we will not accept any justification to prolong it even for a second,” Sheikh Naim Qassem, the Hezbollah leader, said in a speech Monday. File Photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA-EFE
"We don’t accept any extension of the deadline, and we will not accept any justification to prolong it even for a second,” Sheikh Naim Qassem, the Hezbollah leader, said in a speech Monday. File Photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA-EFE

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said Monday that Israel should withdraw from the occupied border areas in southern Lebanon, rejecting the extension of the cease-fire arrangements to Feb. 18.

"Israel should get out. ... We don't accept any extension of the deadline, and we will not accept any justification to prolong it even for a second," Qassem said in a speech broadcast by Hezbollah-run Al Manar television station.

Advertisement

His remarks came after the White House announced in a statement Sunday that a U.S.-brokered cease-fire agreement that ended the war between Lebanon and Israel on Nov. 27 "will remain in effect until Feb. 18."

The cease-fire's 60-day deadline expired at dawn Sunday, but Israel refused to complete the pullout of its forces from southern Lebanon, arguing that the Lebanese Army has been slow in redeploying, while Hezbollah still maintains its military presence in areas prohibited by the agreement.

Lebanon has accused the Israeli military of procrastinating its troop withdrawal.

Israel's decision to remain inside southern Lebanon prompted thousands of displaced residents to forcefully return to their towns and homes, most of which were destroyed by the 14-month war between Israel and Hezbollah that broke out in October 2023.

Advertisement

A total of 26 people were killed and 134 were wounded when Israeli forces opened fire on the returning residents Sunday and Monday, according to a new count by the Health Ministry.

Qassem said the international community should exert pressure on Israel to withdraw, warning that Hezbollah "has the right to act" to confront its continued occupation. He added that Israel violated the cease-fire agreement 1,350 times, while Hezbollah fully abided by the accord and refrained from violating it.

Hezbollah was greatly weakened during the war after receiving devastating blows, with Israel killing its top leaders and dismantling its military infrastructure.

Outgoing Prime Minister Najib Mikati said that Lebanon agreed to continue working under the cease-fire understanding until Feb.18 and "not to give Israel any excuse not to withdraw from all Lebanese territories."

House Speaker Nabih Berri, who negotiated the truce deal on behalf of his Hezbollah ally, explained that he accepted the deadline extension on the condition that Israel immediately stops its violations and destruction of homes, "in addition to a commitment on the issue of prisoners."

According to the White House statement, Lebanon, Israel and the United States will begin negotiations for the return of Lebanese prisoners captured after the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hezbollah opened a "support front" for Gaza.

Advertisement

The prisoners reportedly include seven detained during the war and nine arrested Sunday.

The war, which killed or wounded more than 20,000 people in Lebanon and displaced some 1.2 million, resulted in widespread destruction of villages, property, hospitals and schools in Beirut's southern suburbs and in southern and eastern Lebanon.

Latest Headlines