Defense minister says the Israel-Lebanon framework is ‘historic’ achievement but warns IDF will remain in south Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed; Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem rejects deal as ‘humiliating’ and vows continued resistanceDefense Minister Israel Katz said Saturday that Israel was preparing for a prolonged military presence in south Lebanon, as reports in Lebanon said Israeli strikes hit the Nabatieh al-Fawqa area shortly after Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem rejected the framework agreement signed between Israel and Lebanon.The IDF said the strikes were carried out to remove threats. Under the understandings with the United States and Lebanon, Israel does not strike inside Lebanon except to remove immediate threats to its forces.GalleryReported IDF strike in southern LebanonKatz called the agreement “a historic event and an important diplomatic and security achievement for the State of Israel,” saying it could shape “a new and safer reality” on the northern border and in Lebanon for the first time in decades.“Israel is not withdrawing from Lebanon and is maintaining the security zone in south Lebanon, including Beaufort Ridge, while the area is clear of residents and terror infrastructure above and below ground,” Katz said. He added that Israel was preserving the IDF’s freedom of action to thwart threats against soldiers and northern communities.According to Katz, the key principle in the agreement is that “there will be no redeployment of Israel in south Lebanon, no withdrawal, as long as the Hezbollah terror organization is not disarmed throughout Lebanon and the security of northern residents is ensured.”He said the agreement also constituted “a strategic blow to the Iranian axis,” arguing that Iran had tried to force an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon through threats and pressure on Washington, but failed.“Instead, a framework was set, signed by the US, Israel and Lebanon, requiring the disarmament of Hezbollah throughout Lebanon and making clear that Lebanon’s future will no longer be dictated by Iran and Hezbollah,” he said.Defense Minister Israel Katz (Photo: Defense Ministry)Katz warned that if Iran tries to attack Israel to prevent the agreement from being implemented, Israel would respond forcefully. “The test will be in implementing the agreement, and many challenges are still expected,” he said. “The prime minister and I instructed the IDF to prepare for a prolonged stay in the security zone and to prepare accordingly to defend IDF soldiers and remove threats from northern communities.”Earlier Saturday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem sent a message to the Lebanese government, attacking the framework agreement it signed with Israel. He warned that the document “gives the Zionist entity legitimacy to annex the lands it occupied.”Qassem said the connection made in the framework between Hezbollah’s disarmament and an Israeli withdrawal was “a very dangerous proposal that crosses every red line.”“We told the authorities that direct negotiations are nothing but unnecessary concessions to Israel, because these are meetings designed to impose surrender to the demands of aggression and the dictates of Israel and the US,” he said.The Hezbollah chief said the disarmament of the terror organization was an internal Lebanese matter in which “the Israeli enemy has no right to interfere.” He added that “no one has the right to deny the Lebanese their right to defend themselves and their land from an occupier. The enemy must withdraw.”Qassem called the agreement “humiliating,” a “surrender of sovereignty” and “void.” He urged the Lebanese government to implement the Iranian-American memorandum of understandings, which called for 60 days of negotiations, a ceasefire on all fronts and a mechanism involving Qatar and Tehran to prevent escalation in Lebanon.Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem (Photo: Al Manar TV/Reuters)“We will take all necessary measures and exert international and Arab pressure to ensure that the Israeli enemy implements the first clause of the memorandum of understandings and withdraws from Lebanon,” he said.“We say to the Lebanese authorities: It is time for you to retreat from the sins that are destroying Lebanon,” Qassem said. “We are ready to cooperate and stand together for Lebanon’s sovereignty, the liberation of its land, the expulsion of the Israeli occupier, the return of the Lebanese prisoners, the return of the displaced, the reconstruction of the state and reaching an agreement on a national security strategy.”He added: “We will continue as a resistance on the ground in order to defeat the occupation. We did not leave the field in difficult circumstances, and we will not leave it.”Hezbollah is not a party to the agreement, and its supporters took to the streets of Beirut overnight, waving the terror group’s flags, damaging property and clashing with Lebanese security forces. A convoy of motorcycles carrying Hezbollah supporters was documented on the road to Beirut airport, with riders waving the organization’s flags.According to reports in Lebanon, the Lebanese army used tear gas against rioters on the road near the airport.