Israel ‘has no option’ but to withdraw from Lebanese territory: Hezbollah chief

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naem Qassem said on Tuesday Israel “has no option” but to withdraw from Lebanese territory under a set timetable.

“The withdrawal must take place after the current ceasefire under a timetable,” Qassem said in a televised speech.

“Israel has no option but to withdraw completely from all Lebanese territory,” he stressed.

Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have repeatedly said that the army will not withdraw from territory occupied in southern Lebanon, despite a recently signed interim deal between Iran and the US, which calls for respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Hezbollah chief said the Lebanese army will deploy “exclusively” south of the Litani River after the Israeli withdrawal.

“We will cooperate with the Lebanese army to the fullest extent within the framework of mutual security, as we have done previously,” he added.

Qassem’s statements came as Israel and Lebanon held a fifth round of direct negotiations in Washington on Tuesday. The talks follow four previous rounds between the two sides that began in April as part of a track aimed at ending the Israeli war in Lebanon.

Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed more than 4,100 people and injured over 12,000 others since March 2, according to official Lebanese figures.

Israel continues to occupy areas in southern Lebanon, some held for decades and others seized during the 2023-2024 war.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Lebanon’s government-linked National Council for Scientific Research estimated the direct cost of damage to buildings in southern Lebanon from Israeli attacks exceeded $1.38 billion, with rubble estimated at around 3.1 million cubic meters.