Hezbollah parliamentarian Ali Fayyad declared April 24 that the U.S.-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon is "meaningless," issuing the statement through Lebanon's National News Agency. Fayyad cited Israel's "insistence on hostile acts, including assassinations, shelling, and gunfire," as well as ongoing demolitions of villages and towns in southern Lebanon, as grounds for the rejection. He added that any Israeli military action against a Lebanese target "gives the resistance the right to respond proportionately." The statement came one day after President Donald Trump announced a three-week extension of the truce, and Hezbollah is not a signatory to the underlying agreement [POLITICO].[1][2]
The initial 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon took effect April 16. That truce had been due to expire Sunday. The second round of talks was initially scheduled at the State Department, but was moved to the White House three hours before it was set to begin, with both parties informed that Trump would join. Trump was flanked in the Oval Office by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, and Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad. Rubio said Trump's personal involvement in the mediation "made it possible" to secure the extension.[3][4][5]
The original 10-day ceasefire carried a condition that it could be extended by "mutual agreement" if Beirut "effectively demonstrates its ability to assert its sovereignty," according to the State Department. Hezbollah rejected the talks from the outset, with senior political council member Wafiq Safa telling the Associated Press that the group would not abide by any agreements reached during the direct negotiations. Hezbollah is not a party to the ceasefire agreement and has strongly objected to Lebanon's face-to-face contacts with Israel. Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc leader Mohammad Raad went further, calling on the Lebanese government to "withdraw" from what he characterized as direct negotiations with the "enemy."[1][2][6]
Hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel reignited March 2, when the group opened fire in support of Iran in a broader regional conflict. While the ceasefire has produced a measurable reduction in hostilities overall, Israel and Hezbollah have continued to trade fire in southern Lebanon, where Israel has maintained troops inside a self-declared "buffer zone." Israel has stated it will not withdraw from that buffer zone until Hezbollah disarms. Nearly 2,500 people have been killed in Lebanon since March 2, according to the Lebanese health ministry. The ceasefire terms permit Israel to take "all necessary measures in self-defense," a carve-out Israel has invoked to justify continued strikes.[1][7][8]
The Lebanon ceasefire emerged on a separate diplomatic track from Washington's effort to resolve its conflict with Iran, though Tehran had called for Lebanon's inclusion in any broader truce arrangement. Iran has argued that ongoing Israeli attacks in Lebanon constitute a violation of its separate ceasefire with the United States; Washington and Israel counter that the U.S.-Iran ceasefire does not cover Israel's operations against Hezbollah. Trump said Thursday that he looked forward to hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House and cited "a great chance" of a long-term peace agreement between the two countries. Lebanese officials, however, said a trilateral summit is unlikely as long as Israel occupies approximately 6% of Lebanese territory and continues to conduct strikes there.[5][4][9]
References:
[1] Reuters/Bangor Daily News. (2026, April 24). Hezbollah says ceasefire 'meaningless' as fighting continues in south. https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/04/24/politics/hezbollah-ceasefire-meaningless-fighting-continues/
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