Hezbollah’s Secretary General refuses extension of 60 days for Israel withdrawal from Lebanon

Shafaq News/ The Lebanese Hezbollah Secretary-General, Naeem Qassem, on Monday, rejected the justification for extending the 60-day deadline for the Israeli army's withdrawal from Lebanese territory. 

In a televised address, Qassem stated that "resistance operations have intensified, and Israeli forces have failed to advance more than a few hundred meters, thanks to the steadfastness of the fighters and the support of the displaced and citizens."

Qassem revealed that Israel had requested a ceasefire, which was agreed upon in coordination with the Lebanese state, describing it as "a victory for the resistance."

He also thanked "Yemen for its sacrifices, Iraq's people, religious authority (Marjai'a), and Popular Mobilization Forces, and Lebanon for giving the leader of the martyrs, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah."

The Hezbollah leader pointed out that "the aggression against Lebanon and Gaza is supported by the US and the West without any constraints," asserting that "this aggression aimed at ending the resistance."

Qassem emphasized that the aims of the Al-Aqsa Flood (Toufan Al-Aksa) operation have been achieved, as the Israeli project to destroy the resistance and Hamas has failed. He declared that "the victory of Gaza is a victory for the Palestinian people, for all the peoples of the region who supported the cause, and for all the free people of the world who endorsed and supported it."

Last Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced plans to not withdraw the Israeli army from southern Lebanon after the expiration of the 60-day deadline stipulated in the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon.

A statement from Netanyahu’s office read: "Due to the failure to fully implement the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, the gradual withdrawal will continue beyond the 60-day period."

In his address, Qassem insisted that “resistance can operate against the occupation according to its standards” stating that Israel violated the ceasefire 1350 times.

The Israeli army had been expected to complete its withdrawal from Lebanon on Sunday, marking the end of the first 60 days of the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.