The head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, Mohammad Raad, at Ain al-Tineh. (Credit: Hassan Ibrahim/Lebanese Parliament)
The head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, Mohammad Raad, said Thursday that the war waged by Israel against his group had "failed," while urging the Lebanese government to "read with precision and objectivity" the agreement reached between Iran and the United States, which, according to him, provides for a "60-day period" for a complete Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
"The war waged by the enemy to eradicate the 'resistance' in Lebanon has failed and will not achieve its objectives," the MP wrote in a statement, considering that the agreement signed between Washington and Tehran entails a withdrawal of the Israeli army from southern Lebanon, where it occupies several dozen villages over more than 600 km².
"I draw the authorities' attention to the fact that the deadline given to the enemy for a complete withdrawal from Lebanese territory is strictly two months. During this period, it must rigorously observe a total cease-fire on land, sea, and air, and prepare for and then begin its withdrawal within a 60-day period, with no need for direct negotiations with it," he said.
He added: "I also call on the authorities not to underestimate Iran's ability to fulfill its commitment to deter the Zionist enemy should it persist in violating the provisions of the agreement that concern it."
The militia-party MP was referring to the first point of the agreement protocol, which stipulates an "immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon." A "maximum period of 60 days" is also provided for in the third point to reach a final agreement between the United States and Iran, "which can be extended by mutual agreement."
Raad also called on the Lebanese authorities to "adopt a framework for indirect negotiations" with Israel, just days before a new round of direct talks — rejected by Hezbollah — between the two countries, scheduled for next week in Washington.
He also considered that beyond this framework, Lebanese authorities could, "after a national agreement in accordance with constitutional procedures," "adopt the formula of indirect negotiations with the enemy in order to reactivate the armistice agreement" concluded between Lebanon and Israel in 1949.
But while the cessation of hostilities and the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon are at the heart of discussions between the Israelis and the Trump administration, the Israeli army on Thursday made official in a new map its advances beyond the original "buffer zone" demarcated in mid-April, along the coast, in the central sector, and in the Nabatieh region.
