The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah declared on Monday that it would not lay down its weapons, a day after the authorities in Lebanon said 14 people had been killed in Israeli attacks in one of the deadliest days since a truce was declared this month.
Naim Qassem, the leader of Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed group, said in a written statement that it would not “relinquish its weapons or its defenses.” Israel has demanded Hezbollah’s disarmament as a precondition for ending its invasion of southern Lebanon.
But it is still far from clear whether the Lebanese government can rein in Hezbollah, whose devoted Shiite Muslim supporters and battalions of fighters have long made it Lebanon’s dominant military power.
The latest war in Lebanon began in early March when Hezbollah attacked Israel in solidarity after the United States and Israel launched a war on its patron, Iran.
Though President Trump has declared a cease-fire in Lebanon through mid-May, Israel and Hezbollah have continued to trade attacks almost daily. Hezbollah has fired rockets and drones at Israeli communities while Israeli forces have bombarded southern Lebanon and seized territory there.
The terms of the U.S.-backed truce permit Israel to continue defensive military operations. Israeli officials say that includes continuing to raze Lebanese border towns that Israel has seized.
Lebanon’s health ministry said the 14 people killed on Sunday included two women and two children, but did not give many other details, state media reported.
On Sunday, the Israeli military said a soldier had been killed in Lebanon, raising the death toll in Israel’s ranks in the current conflict to at least 16. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel accused Hezbollah of repeatedly violating the truce.
“Hezbollah’s violations are essentially disintegrating the cease-fire,” he said on Sunday.
Lebanese and Israeli officials have met twice in Washington to discuss next steps in the agreement, most recently at the White House. The talks broke a long taboo on high-level negotiations between the two countries.
Mr. Qassem condemned the Lebanese government for negotiating with Israel, adding that the country’s leaders had made a “gratuitous and humiliating concession” by even sitting down with Israeli officials.
Rawan Sheikh Ahmad contributed reporting.
Aaron Boxerman is a Times reporter covering Israel and Gaza. He is based in Jerusalem.
The post Hezbollah Says It Will Keep Weapons as Lebanon Says Israeli Strikes Killed 14 appeared first on New York Times.
