Israeli ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter described the fifth round of US-mediated ceasefire negotiations with Lebanon as a “train wreck” in a statement on Tuesday.
“I fear that the concept of ‘deconfliction’ is misplaced. The only issue is Hezbollah. Hezbollah must be defeated and removed from the equation,” Leiter stated, adding that instead the Lebanese armed group “feels stronger and bolder”.
The ambassador also questioned whether unfrozen funds made available to Iran could be used to support Hezbollah.
This comes after Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Tuesday called for a full, scheduled withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon to allow for the Lebanese army to secure the area in the south of the country.
