Israel Escalates its Aggression on Lebanon After Ceasefire Extension

Hezbollah reaffirmed that it does not trust the ceasefire negotiations, and vowed to continue resistance against the IOF.

By Aseel Saleh, peoples dispatch

US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday, April 23 that the 10-day ceasefire deal between the Israeli and the Lebanese governments was extended by three weeks.

Although the truce was extended, Israel has continued attacking the Arab country on an almost daily basis. The IOF announced on Friday, April 24, the killing of six Hezbollah fighters in Bint Jbeil city, in southern Lebanon.

Two other people were reportedly killed that same day in an Israeli airstrike in Touline village in the southern governorate of Nabatieh.

On Sunday, April 26, Israel launched its deadliest aerial attack on southern Lebanon since the shaky ceasefire deal took effect more than one week ago. The onslaught left at least 14 people killed, including two women and two children, and dozens of others wounded, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.

“Negotiations with Israeli enemy are of no concern,” says Sheikh Naim Qassem

For his part, Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem re-affirmed on Monday that his group is not concerned in the direct negotiations between Tel Aviv and Beirut.

Qassem also asserted that Hezbollah will not return to the pre-March 2 era, during which Israel unilaterally violated the previous truce reached in November 2024, thousands of times.

The Hezbollah leader pledged that the group “will press with its defensive resistance to protect Lebanon and its people.”

He also emphasized the importance of the unity between all the Lebanese political and religious components in confrontation with Israel.

“No matter the scale of threats, we will neither retreat nor yield, and we will not be defeated. Issue your threats as you will – those on the frontlines do not bow their heads and remain resolute in the face of tyranny. We will stand united with all honorable forces, alongside the Amal Movement, national political factions, and figures from across all regions and sects,” Qassem noted.

Moreover, Sheikh Naim called on the Lebanese state to rescind the decision it issued on March 2, “which criminalizes the resistance and its people, who represent more than half of the Lebanese population.”