Hezbollah rejects Lebanon-Israel talks under US sponsorship

Lebanese group Hezbollah on Friday rejected ongoing US-mediated negotiations between Lebanon and Israel in Washington, insisting that Israel must withdraw from Lebanese territory without any condition.

"Israel must leave without conditions, and any commitment against Lebanon's sovereignty will not pass. No one has the right to sign anything," the group's Secretary-General Naim Qassem said in a televised address.

Qassem called on Lebanon's political leadership to present a unified position in the talks and reject what he described as Israeli "dictates."

"There is no normalization, no end to hostility, no gains for Israel, and no partial presence on Lebanese land," he added.

His remarks came as the US State Department announced Friday the extension of the fifth round of Lebanon-Israel talks by one day, after negotiations were scheduled to conclude Thursday amid disagreements over the scope of Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

Earlier Friday, Israel's Channel 12 reported cautious progress in the talks over a US-backed "pilot plan" for parts of southern Lebanon.

The Jerusalem Post reported that the proposal involves a gradual Israeli withdrawal from certain areas in exchange for Lebanese army deployment and the dismantling of Hezbollah military infrastructure.

The main dispute centers on where implementation should begin, with Washington and Beirut supporting a start in areas currently held by Israeli forces, while Tel Aviv wants to begin in areas where its troops are absent to assess the Lebanese army's ability to prevent Hezbollah activity.

Israel continues to occupy parts of southern Lebanon, some dating back decades and others seized during the 2023-2024 war.

Since March 2, 2026, Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed 4,230 people and injured 12,179 others, while displacing more than one million people, according to Lebanese authorities.