BEIRUT, Lebanon: Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Tuesday demanded a scheduled withdrawal of Israeli troops from south Lebanon as authorities said Israeli gunfire killed two people there despite a recent lull in fighting.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun rejected Israel´s occupation of the south and foreign interference in his country´s affairs -- an allusion to Hezbollah´s backer Iran -- as a fifth round of Israel-Lebanon talks began in Washington.
“We now have a ceasefire. The withdrawal must take place according to a timetable. Israel has no choice but to fully withdraw from all Lebanese territory, without retaining an inch,” Qassem said, in a televised address.
Deadly clashes between Israel and Hezbollah on Friday and Saturday had rattled the fledgling US-Iran deal, which provides for a cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon.
The fighting in Lebanon has largely paused since Saturday evening.
“Israel withdraws and the Lebanese army deploys exclusively south of the Litani River,” Qassem said, referring to a waterway around 30-kms from the Israeli border.
