Hezbollah stresses role of state and int'l community if Israel stays in south

Hezbollah said Thursday that it will be the responsibility of the Lebanese state to act and press the countries sponsoring the ceasefire agreement should Israel delay its military pullout from south Lebanon.

“The 60-day deadline for the complete withdrawal of the Zionist enemy from Lebanese territory is about to expire, and this compels it to carry out a complete and comprehensive implementation, in line with what was mentioned in the ceasefire agreement,” Hezbollah said in a written statement.

“Some leaks about the enemy’s postponement of its pullout … require everyone, topped by the political authority in Lebanon, to press the countries sponsoring the agreement to act effectively and oversee the final days of the deadline in a manner that guarantees complete withdrawal and the Lebanese Army’s deployment to the last inch of Lebanese territory,” the group said.

“Any exceeding of the 60-day deadline would be considered a flagrant breach pf the agreement, a continued attack on Lebanese sovereignty and a new phase of occupation that requires the state to deal with it through all the means and methods guaranteed by international conventions, in order to regain the land and liberate it from occupation,” Hezbollah went on to say.

Adding that it will be “following up on the developments of the situation,” Hezbollah emphasized that “any violation of the agreement and pledges and any attempt to evade them under frail excuses will not be acceptable.”

“We call for a strict commitment that does not accept any compromises,” Hezbollah added.