US President Donald Trump claimed he had spoken to Hezbollah for the first time to help secure a concrete ceasefire between the militant group and Israel—only for Hezbollah to reject a US-brokered proposal hours later.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump told reporters on Wednesday: "We actually spoke with Hezbollah for the first time ever. We didn't know they spoke."
He said Hezbollah had agreed the previous day to stop firing at Israel and that Israel would halt its attacks on Lebanon—something that has yet to materialise, with hundreds of Lebanese civilians being killed.
Any agreement will require the approval of Iran-backed Hezbollah, the other major party in the conflict. Pressure from the US and Israel on Lebanon to disarm the group has yielded few results, as Hezbollah refuses to surrender its arms amid ongoing Israeli strikes and occupation of southern Lebanon.
According to reports, Hezbollah has shown willingness to stop firing rockets at northern Israel only if Israel halts its strikes and withdraws from Lebanese territory.
Citing an unnamed source close to Hezbollah, Almodon said the group is seeking written guarantees as part of ongoing discussions over its weapons, which are taking place through a "confidential channel."
Lebanese media reports pointed to Trump's claims that he spoke with Hezbollah, clarifying that he actually spoke to an aide of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Hezbollah's closest political ally and a key mediator between the Shia group and the Lebanese state.
Following the latest round of talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington on Wednesday, a statement issued by the US State Department said the ceasefire was contingent "on a complete cessation of Hezbollah fire and the evacuation of all Hezbollah operatives from the South Litani Sector."
The arrangement does not specify a timeline for an Israeli withdrawal from occupied areas, a key condition for Hezbollah to discuss its disarmament. Failure to end the occupation could jeopardise the entire agreement. Hezbollah rejects 'surrender' In a televised speech later on Thursday, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem completely rejected Wednesday's arrangement, refusing to end the fighting as long as Israeli forces remain in south Lebanon, a stance that had been expected.
"We are concerned only with a ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal, and reject any attempt to separate southern Lebanon from the rest of the country," he said, referring to Israel pausing looming strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs earlier this week but continuing the war in southern Lebanon.
Qassem said Hezbollah had not committed to any party that it would stop fighting, stressing that "the resistance will continue as long as the occupation remains." He warned that Hezbollah would continue firing at northern Israel as long as southern Lebanon remained under attack.
He reiterated his calls for Lebanese officials to end direct talks with Israel.
"The current negotiating track amounts to surrender, defeat, and the fulfilment of the enemy's objectives," he claimed, adding: "The only viable solution is to stop the Israeli aggression against Lebanon in all its forms — by air, land and sea."
Iran, currently negotiating its own peace deal with the US , is widely believed to wield significant influence over Hezbollah's position. Esmail Qaani, head of the Quds Force in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, said Thursday that supporting Hezbollah "was a responsibility for all," adding that ridding the region of Israeli presence is "a goal that Muslims can achieve." 'Last chance' Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the arrangement reached on Wednesday could be implemented within 24 hours, pending a response from the parties involved. But following Qassem's remarks, its implementation now appears increasingly unlikely.
"The negotiations were difficult, and the head of the delegation, Simon Karam, went as far as suspending participation due to Israeli intransigence, prompting the intervention of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to resume the talks," Aoun told reporters on Thursday.
"We are awaiting responses from all concerned parties and the provision of the necessary guarantees for compliance, after which the American sponsor will determine the timetable and mechanism for implementation," he added.
Wednesday's joint statement agreed to establish "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon in which the Lebanese Army "will take exclusive control of the territory to the exclusion of all non-state actors." Aoun said Lebanon had proposed that the initial pilot area include the villages of Zawtar al-Gharbiya and Zawtar al-Sharqiya, and the nearby Beaufort Castle, which Israeli forces captured last week in what many have described as more of a symbolic act rather than a tactical victory.
"The agreement that has been reached is the last opportunity; otherwise, each party will bear responsibility for the consequences," the president warned.
Speaking to visiting French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian on Thursday, Aoun said Israel must not be given any excuses that could keep it from withdrawing from the south.
Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have defended the talks, saying diplomacy is the only viable track to ending the decades-long conflict with Israel and suffering of the Lebanese people, particularly in the south. Israeli infighting Statements by senior Israeli officials have also cast fresh doubt on whether the ceasefire can be implemented, while also exposing divisions within Israel's political leadership.
Tel Aviv has stated on numerous occasions that it will remain in southern Lebanon "to guarantee Hezbollah's disarmament," even if a deal with Beirut is reached.
Extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir denounced the ceasefire as a "grave mistake" and called for a cabinet vote, arguing that Hezbollah would remain south of the Litani River and eventually emerge stronger.
Ben-Gvir, and others like him, have urged the Israeli military to 'punish' residents of south Beirut with larger-scale attacks. Defence Minister Israel Katz, however, defended the deal, claiming it enshrines Hezbollah's disarmament and allows Israel to maintain a military presence in parts of southern Lebanon, including Beaufort Castle, while retaining freedom to strike Hezbollah targets.
He suggested the arrangement could eventually pave the way for a peace agreement with Lebanon, highlighting a growing split between hardline ministers demanding continued military pressure and those backing the US-brokered framework.
Katz warned that Lebanese people will not be allowed to return to their homes in the south, much of which has been forcibly emptied of its residents with repeated evacuation orders and strikes, which human rights groups have described as a form of ethnic cleansing .
His comments conflict with attempts to solidify a truce and end hostilities.
Amid grave uncertainty and with the chances of a ceasefire implementation remaining slim, over a dozen people were killed in Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon and the Western Beqaa district on Thursday. In the eastern part of South Lebanon, very close to the border, the state-run National News Agency said Lebanese Army forces entered Dibbine in the Marjaayoun district after Israeli forces pulled out, days after invading the village.
In yet another casualty among the peacekeeping mission, the United Nations Interim Force in southern Lebanon said Thursday that a peacekeeper was killed and two others wounded when shelling hit their base in the country's south the previous night.
Since 2 March alone, Israel has killed more than 3,500 Lebanese, including women and children, according to health ministry officials.