Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem on Friday again rejected the US-mediated framework agreed upon by Israel and Lebanon in June, opposing both the proposed Israeli withdrawal and the disarmament of the terror group.
Under the framework, Israel would gradually withdraw its forces from Lebanon in return for the complete disarmament of Hezbollah. The agreement also calls for the Lebanese Armed Forces to deploy in designated "pilot zones" after Israeli troops leave those areas.
"We reject the framework agreement with Israel and call for its cancellation. We do not agree to the pilot zones or their outcomes. The framework agreement is illegitimate, illegal, humiliating, and undermines Lebanese sovereignty," Qassem said in televised remarks.
"The Lebanese authorities have chosen a path that dishonors them, Lebanon, and the sacrifices of the Lebanese people. Say no for once. Try to show that you have what it takes to achieve something in the future," he added.
Qassem also claimed that Hezbollah had blocked Israel's territorial ambitions.
"We have thwarted the so-called 'Greater Israel' project and prevented it from reaching Beirut and undermining Lebanon's power and capabilities."
"Today," he continued, "the enemy does not dare to build settlements in southern Lebanon because, due to the presence of the resistance, the situation there is unstable for them."
Since the framework was signed, Washington has facilitated several rounds of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon. During a recent round of talks in Rome, the sides discussed potential countries that could participate in an oversight mechanism responsible for monitoring the Lebanese army's deployment in the pilot zones and supervising efforts to remove Hezbollah's infrastructure and weapons.
Diplomatic sources later told Reuters that Israel and Lebanon had chosen Britain, Italy, Switzerland and Indonesia as potential members of the proposed monitoring panel.
Hezbollah was not a party to the framework and continues to oppose direct negotiations with Israel. The group has also maintained its refusal to give up its weapons.
The organization has repeatedly violated the ceasefire. On Wednesday, it launched two explosive drones toward IDF troops operating near the Ali-Taher Ridge in southern Lebanon.
The drones were directed at Israeli forces inside the security zone established under the agreement. No Israeli soldiers were injured.
IDF troops shot down one of the drones, while contact with the second drone was lost.
Israel has carried out strikes against Hezbollah targets in response to the group's continued ceasefire violations.
(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.)