Hezbollah rejects renewed ceasefire agreed by Israel and Lebanon

Hezbollah rejects renewed ceasefire agreed 4 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on Google John Sudworth & Samantha Granville, Beirut, Henry Mooreand Tom Symonds, News correspondent Reuters Smoke billows from the Nabatieh area in southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike on Thursday The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has emphatically rejected the terms of a US-backed ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. In a strongly worded statement, the Iran-backed group's leader Naim Qassem said negotiations had been "futile" and "humiliating" for Lebanon, and rejected categorically by "broad segments of the Lebanese people". It comes after Israel and Lebanon announced a renewal of their fragile ceasefire with the creation of "pilot" security zones inside Lebanon in which Hezbollah operatives would be banned. It also required Hezbollah to stop attacking Israel. Donald Trump later said he had spoken to Hezbollah and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and progress was being made. Watch: Lebanon-Israel ceasefire deal made in 'hope rather than expectation' Trump added "I think you're going to see things happen over there". "It would be really nice if Lebanon could have some peace. Lebanon's been under attack for so many years and always like an underdog, and it would be really nice if it could end," he said. Before Trump's comments, the leader of Hezbollah - which was not part of the talks - said the "supposed ceasefire", interpreted as Hezbollah halting fire and withdrawing fighters from the southern front with Israel, amounted to surrender and would fulfil Israel's objectives. The mood was similar on the streets of Beirut's southern suburbs - a stronghold of Hezbollah, also known as Dahieh - with a storekeeper expressing doubts about the agreement. Sami, who has run his business there for 25 years, told the BBC: "You cannot have a ceasefire from one side, it's going to be an all side or no ceasefire." There had been strikes in Lebanon on Thursday, he said. If this was supposed to be a truce, what did that make it? "This is surrender. This is not a peace agreement. This is a surrender agreement," he added. Across the road, Hadi, whose family store has been around for 35 years, said he saw no hope - and that this was not a new feeling. "My generation, my dad's generation, my grandpa's generation, they didn't see anything of hope from these people - not necessarily the Israeli people. You can say the Israeli government," he said. The agreement between Israel and Lebanon, reached after a fourth round of US-mediated talks in Washington, is contingent on the "evacuation of all [Hezbollah] operatives" from an area between the Israeli border and the Litani river, about 30km (19 miles) to the north, which is currently occupied .