Hezbollah chief demands full Israeli withdrawal ‘according to a timetable’

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem demands a full, scheduled withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon to make way for a Lebanese army deployment in the south following the US-Iran deal to end the Middle East war.

“We now have a ceasefire. The withdrawal must take place according to a timetable. Israel has no choice but to fully withdraw from all Lebanese territory, without retaining an inch,” Qassem says in a televised address. “Israel withdraws and the Lebanese army deploys exclusively south of the Litani River.”

Lebanon announced last year that it had completed its deployment in southern Lebanon after disarming Hezbollah in the area as part of a ceasefire deal, but Israel had expressed heavy skepticism toward the claim and the Iran-backed terror group later continued to attack Israel from the area.