Hezbollah on Thursday rejected a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, calling the deal “absurd, humiliating and insulting.”
The news came a day after Israel and Lebanon agreed to a full ceasefire, contingent on Hezbollah halting attacks and withdrawing its operatives from areas south of the Litani River, according to a joint statement from the U.S., Israel and Lebanon.
The agreement also called for the Lebanese army to assume control of those areas.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said the agreement’s requirement for fighters to leave southern Lebanon under fire would mean “surrender, defeat and achieving the enemy’s goals.”
“What we are concerned about is an end to the aggression, ceasefire and Israel’s withdrawal,” he said. “As long as our villages are being bombed and our people killed, northern Israel will not be safe.”
Qassem pledged to continue attacks as long as Israeli troops remain in parts of the country.
A full ceasefire in Lebanon is among the key demands Iranian officials have made in negotiations with the Trump administration aimed at reaching an agreement to end the war. Axios reported that without Hezbollah’s agreement, the ceasefire could remain “on paper.”
“If Hezbollah indeed rejects the agreement and continues launching missiles and drones at northern Israel, it could push Trump to give Netanyahu a ‘green light’ for escalating the military campaign in Lebanon,” Axios added.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Beirut would inform the U.S. administration of Hezbollah’s rejection and noted the ceasefire would take effect 24 hours after Washington received guarantees from the parties involved.
Meanwhile, strikes continued across southern Lebanon despite the ceasefire announcement. Israeli strikes killed at least four people, according to local authorities. A U.N. peacekeeper was also killed in the crossfire.
Israel said Hezbollah was responsible for the attack that killed the U.N. peacekeeper, which Hezbollah has not confirmed.
A UNIFIL peacekeeper died early this morning from critical injuries sustained when mortar shells struck his position near Marjayoun, southeastern Lebanon.
Two other peacekeepers, who also sustained injuries, are being treated at a medical facility in the UNIFIL base.
— UNIFIL (@UNIFIL_) June 4, 2026
❗️ Hezbollah launched mortar shells that hit a UNIFIL position and killed a UN personnel member in southern Lebanon
Overnight, Hezbollah launched several mortar shells that landed inside a UNIFIL force position in the Dibbine area in southern Lebanon—killing a UN personnel… pic.twitter.com/vQ3YnnNWZZ
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 4, 2026
