Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said Sunday that Lebanon’s government was responsible for making Israel honour a withdrawal deadline under a fragile ceasefire agreement, while also blaming Israel for a stoppage on flights from Iran.
“Israel must fully withdraw on February 18, it has no excuse,” Qassem said in a televised address.
There are “no five points and no other details… this is the agreement”, he added.
Lebanon’s parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, said Thursday that the United States had told him that while Israel would withdraw on February 18, “it will remain in five locations”, a demand Lebanon rejected.
“It is the responsibility of the Lebanese state” to exert every effort “to make Israel withdraw on February 18”, Qassem said.
The Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire has been in effect since November 27 after more than a year of hostilities, including two months of all-out war.
Under the deal, Lebanon’s military was to deploy in the south alongside United Nations peacekeepers as the Israeli army withdrew over a 60-day period.
Hezbollah was also to pull back north of the Litani River — about 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the border — and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south.
But the withdrawal period was extended to February 18 after Israel missed the first deadline, and Lebanon has rejected any further extension.
This week, Lebanese authorities blocked planes from Iran – which backs Hezbollah – from landing in Beirut, sparking protests by the group’s supporters and unrest that saw a UN peacekeeper convoy attacked near the capital’s airport on Friday.
Israel has on several occasions accused Hezbollah of using the airport in Beirut to bring in weapons from Iran, allegations denied by both the group and the Lebanese authorities.
A Lebanese source told AFP on Saturday that Lebanon had denied permission for Iranian flights to land twice this week, after the United States warned Israel might strike the airport.
Lebanon’s transport ministry refused clearance for the first flight on Thursday after consulting the prime minister and president, the source said.
Another flight was also barred from taking off from Iran on Friday.
Qassem said that the prime minister’s office had been informed “that Israel will strike the Beirut airport runway if the Iranian plane lands”.
“The prime minister decided to prevent it under the banner of aviation and civilian safety…The problem is that this is implementing an Israeli order,” he added.
Qassem also called for “broad participation” in the February 23 funeral for Hassan Nasrallah, the group’s former leader, who was killed during the war in a massive Israeli air strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs.
“We want to transform this funeral into a show of support and an affirmation of (Hezbollah’s) plan and approach, and hold our heads high,” Qassem said.
