Hezbollah chief rejects Lebanon-Israel deal

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Friday accused Lebanese authorities of putting undue pressure on the country's armed forces by implementing a framework deal agreed with Israel to end hostilities.

The June trilateral framework, also involving the United States, includes the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army to areas where Israel's military has pulled out. The army deployment is due to start in test areas known as pilot zones.

“How can you accept this ongoing humiliation of the Lebanese army, exposing it to bombardment and Israeli pressures, instead of acting as its protectors?” Qassem said in a speech.

A Lebanese presidency source told AFP that Lebanon and Israel discussed in Rome last week which countries might take part in a committee tasked with verifying the Lebanese army's deployment in the pilot zones and the clearance of Hezbollah weapons and infrastructure.

Qassem accused Israel of trying to bind Lebanon to a committee overseeing the army's deployment, operations and internal details. He repeated Hezbollah's rejection of the framework deal and called on Lebanese officials to reverse it.

Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected direct talks and refuses to surrender its weapons. Washington said on Tuesday that it would sponsor a new round of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon in Rome in early September.