The Media Line: Israeli Security Cabinet Nixes Vote on Lebanon Ceasefire Proposal After Hezbollah Chief Rejects It  

Israeli Security Cabinet Nixes Vote on Lebanon Ceasefire Proposal After Hezbollah Chief Rejects It  

By The Media Line Staff  

Israeli ministers refrained from approving a proposed ceasefire arrangement during a security cabinet meeting on Thursday after Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem publicly rejected the framework, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ministers that “at the moment there is no agreement.”   

The proposal, developed during Israel-Lebanon talks in Washington, would establish security zones in Lebanon without a Hezbollah presence, requiring the group to withdraw from areas south of the Litani River.   

According to participants in the meeting, Netanyahu told ministers that Israel was still waiting for Hezbollah to formally accept the proposal before it could be brought forward for government approval.   

“At the moment there is no agreement,” Netanyahu said, according to participants in the meeting. “Hezbollah opposes it, and therefore I am not bringing it for a decision. If it agrees, I will bring it for your approval.”   

Ministers ultimately did not vote on the proposal after learning of Qassem’s rejection.   

Earlier Thursday, the Hezbollah leader denounced the plan and the negotiations that produced it.   

“The result of the direct, humiliating and disgraceful negotiations is rejected by broad parts of the Lebanese people,” Qassem said.   

He further criticized the proposal, stating, “The Washington declaration conditions the basic principles that America and Israel want, toward the subjugation of Lebanon to the Greater Israel project.”   

The security cabinet meeting took place against the backdrop of continued fighting in southern Lebanon. During the session, ministers were informed of the death of Capt. Eitan Shmuel Lamberg, an Armored Corps officer who was killed in southern Lebanon.   

According to Ynet, news of Lamberg’s death reinforced opposition to the ceasefire proposal among some ministers participating in the discussion.   

At the same time, Ynet reported that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich argued that achieving a ceasefire under the current circumstances would represent a significant accomplishment.   

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir attended only the opening portion of the cabinet meeting and made few remarks, officials familiar with the discussion told Ynet.