Hezbollah rejects direct talks anew, Israel says wants disarmament, peace deal
Hezbollah has again rejected direct talks between Lebanon and Israel on the eve of military negotiations between the two sides.
The Iran-backed group believes that Beirut doesn't have the leverage to stop the war and have Israel withdraw its troops.
"The ruling authority persists in pursuing a downward trajectory, compromising both sovereignty and rights under the pretext that it is compelled to continue direct negotiations with the enemy," Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc said in a statement Thursday.
The group instead endorsed its key ally Iran, which has made ending the war in Lebanon a condition for its own talks with Washington brokered by Pakistan.
"Yet, instead of seizing this opportunity, the Lebanese authorities are attempting to undermine it — actively working to obstruct it, even at the cost of their own people's blood," the statement said.
Israeli government spokesman David Mencer meanwhile said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the military "to deepen our operation in Lebanon" to protect the communities of Israel's north.
Mencer said that Israel would continue U.S.-mediated negotiations with Lebanon in Washington, saying that the talks aim to disarm Hezbollah and reach "a peace agreement that will strengthen security and stability in our region and promote prosperity and peace."
Source: Associated Press
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