BEIRUT: Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Tuesday demanded a scheduled withdrawal of Israeli troops from south Lebanon as authorities said Israeli gunfire killed two people there despite a recent lull in fighting. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun rejected Israel’s occupation of the south and foreign interference in his country’s affairs — an allusion to Hezbollah’s backer Iran — as a fifth round of Israel-Lebanon talks began in Washington.

Hezbollah's Qassem demands IDF withdrawal from Lebanon. Permanent peace deal by June 30, 2026 at 13.5% YES.

Qassem said Israel was seeking to deceive negotiators and accused the IDF of war crimes.