\u201cIsrael has no choice but to fully withdraw from all Lebanese territory, without retaining an inch,\u201d Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said on Tuesday, in his second speech delivered in recent days.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will cooperate with the Lebanese Army to the utmost extent, just as we cooperated previously, and Israel has no right to interfere in Lebanon\u2019s internal affairs,\u201d the terror chief said, seemingly ignoring recent accusations from more than 400 Lebanese officials in recent days insisting that Iran cease its interference. \u201cThe political authority in Lebanon<\/a> has a mere guarantee named the Resistance.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe exercised patience for 15 months; this patience was part of our strategy. Don\u2019t mistake it for retreat. When we saw that the opportune moment arrived on March 2, we seized this opportunity and fought this battle,\u201d he said, referencing the day Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into a renewed conflict with Israel in response to the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n While Beirut discussed a ceasefire<\/a> and security measures in an agreement brokered by Washington, Iran has pursued a ceasefire in Lebanon as a key condition in its Memorandum of Understanding with the United States. The \u201cA Call to Save Lebanon,<\/a>\u201d endorsed by political and religious leaders in Lebanon, has asserted that such an agreement must be pursued by the legitimate state, not Iran.<\/p>\n The renewed conflict left 20% of Lebanon\u2019s population displaced, and researchers have assessed, based on the growing attempts to establish political Shi\u2019ite alternatives to Hezbollah, its dwindling numbers at rallies and public opinions expressed in Lebanese media, that the war has severely damaged support for the group.<\/p>\n Qassem\u2019s statement came as Israel and Lebanon shared another round of talks on a potential pilot solution, according to international reports.<\/p>\n