Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem targeted Lebanese leadership on Friday, accusing government officials of placing improper strain on the country's national army by carrying out a security framework negotiated with Israel to halt hostilities, AFP reported.
The June trilateral arrangement - facilitated alongside the United States - mandates the disarming of the Lebanese terrorist group and the progressive withdrawal of Israeli troops occupying sectors of southern Lebanon. The accord further directs the Lebanese Armed Forces to station troops in designated "pilot zones" vacated by Israeli forces.
In a public address, Qassem challenged government figures regarding the military's role, saying, “How can you accept this ongoing humiliation of the Lebanese army, exposing it to bombardment and Israeli pressures, instead of acting as its protectors?"
During bilateral discussions convened in Rome last week between Lebanese and Israeli delegations, representatives considered which third-party nations could join an oversight panel to monitor the Lebanese army's positioning in the pilot zones and oversee the clearing of Hezbollah infrastructure and weaponry.
Diplomatic sources told Reuters on Wednesday that negotiators from Israel and Lebanon have selected Britain, Italy, Switzerland, and Indonesia as prospective candidates for this task.
Scrutinizing the proposed monitoring mechanism on Friday, Qassem argued, “Israel is attempting to bind Lebanon to an inquiry committee that oversees the army’s deployment, operations, and internal details. Where is the patriotism? Where is the dignity of the army that ought to be preserved?"
Hezbollah, which is not party to the framework agreement announced in June, maintains a firm stance against direct negotiations with Israel and consistently refuses to surrender its arsenal.
While Washington announced plans on Tuesday to host another round of Israeli-Lebanese talks in Rome scheduled for early September, Qassem renewed Hezbollah’s complete opposition to the framework and urged Lebanese authorities to scrap the agreement entirely.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)