Hezbollah Rejects New Lebanon Ceasefire, Casting Shadow on US-Iran Peace Prospects

(Central News Agency, Beirut, 4th, Combined Foreign Reports) Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah today rejected a new ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon. Israel also stated it would not withdraw from Lebanese territory. This has frustrated US President Donald Trump's efforts to stop the fighting and reach a peace deal with Iran.

According to Reuters, Iran has made a ceasefire in Lebanon a condition for any peace agreement with the United States. Tehran recently hinted that it might directly intervene if Israel continues its attacks on Lebanon.

However, in the latest development, the ceasefire agreement brokered by the US between Israel and the Lebanese government was rejected by Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem. Hezbollah was not a party to the negotiations.

Neither Israel nor Lebanon has yet responded to this. In Washington, Trump told reporters he believes there has been progress in the situation in Lebanon and that the country deserves peace.

After bombing Iran alongside the US on February 28, Israel invaded Lebanon in March and continues to strike southern Lebanon. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that the military will not withdraw from Lebanon and will not cease its operations there.

The commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force stated that Israel must at least withdraw to its pre-war positions. Hezbollah was founded by this force in 1982. (Editor: Zhang Zhengqian) 1150605