Hezbollah chief says Israeli-Lebanese framework is ‘null and void’

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem lashed out on Saturday at the U.S.-brokered framework signed the previous day between Jerusalem and Beirut, calling it “a very dangerous proposal that crosses all red lines.”

The Israeli-Lebanese “agreement is null and void, and the provisions of the Iranian-American Memorandum of Understanding must be implemented,” Qassem said in a recording transcribed by Hezbollah-run outlet Al-Manar.

Washington and Tehran signed an interim agreement on June 17 that commits to ending hostilities in the Middle East.

“The framework agreement reached in Washington is a humiliation, a disgrace, and a surrender of Lebanon’s sovereignty,” Qassem continued, referring to the signing ceremony on Friday with Israeli and Lebanese officials.

He further stated that the agreement grants Israel the “legitimacy to annex the lands it occupied” in Southern Lebanon, preventing the Lebanese from “returning to their land.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the framework agreement on Friday night “a great achievement” for the Jewish state.

Under the agreement, designated pilot zones currently controlled by the Israel Defense Forces will be handed over to the Lebanese Armed Forces, which will be tasked to dismantle Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure sites and prevent the Iranian proxy group from re-entering the zones.

The phased process would continue until Lebanon assumes responsibility for the south, although Israeli officials have said an expanded security zone will remain along the border.

The agreement begins with two pilot zones recommended by the Israel Defense Forces, according to Israeli officials.

The Hezbollah leader said that his group will take “all necessary measures” to ensure that Israel adheres to the first clause of the MoU that calls to preserve the “territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon.”

Qassem moreover issued a warning to the Lebanese government, saying that “The time has come for you to retreat from the sins that are destroying Lebanon.”

On Friday night, Hezbollah supporters took to the streets in Beirut to protest against the agreement between Israel and Lebanon.

Hundreds rode motorbikes across the capital, chanting slogans and blocking a road leading to Beirut’s airport with burning tires, AFP reported, citing Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.

Footage circulating on social media showed Lebanese authorities tackling the Hezbollah supporters, and soldiers reopening the road to the airport.

Hezbollah parliamentarian Hassan Fadlallah warned that the implementation of the Israeli-Lebanese agreement could lead to civil war, according to AFP.

He vowed that the group’s opposition to it was “serious” and it would act against the execution of the framework, which gave Hezbollah additional motivation to hold onto its weapons.