Hezbollah's Qmati says deadline must be set for Israel not for Hezbollah

Hezbollah political bureau member Mahmoud Qmati has said that a deadline must be set for Israel and not for Hezbollah, calling again for Israel's halt of attacks and withdrawal from south Lebanon before demanding Hezbollah to disarm.

Qmati said Sunday that liberating the five occupied hills in south Lebanon, freeing the Lebanese prisoners, halting the "Israeli aggression and violations", and the "unconditional reconstruction" of war-hit regions have always been a national priority to the President, the Prime Minister and the Lebanese government.

"These are not just Hezbollah's demands but an official Lebanese stance," Qmati said, adding that the U.S., although leading the ceasefire committee, is encouraging Israel to keep its attacks on Lebanon in order to put political and military pressure on the country.

Qmati said that the conditions for reconstruction are humiliating, and that the priorities -- liberating the five occupied hills, freeing the Lebanese prisoners, halting the Israeli violations, and the unconditional reconstruction -- must be implemented before any domestic dialogue about Hezbollah's arms or any discussion about a defense strategy. "How can we have such a dialogue while our land is still occupied, prisoners are still in (Israeli) jails, and daily aggressions continue?"

They want to change the priorities, they want the Lebanese to focus on one demand: the disarmament of the resistance, Qmati said. "We have cooperated and participated in all national junctures. The (Israeli) enemy is the side that must respect its deadlines, not the resistance."

Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon despite the November ceasefire aimed at ending over a year of hostilities with Hezbollah.

Under the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah was to pull its fighters back north of the Litani river and Israel was required to fully withdraw its troops from the country, but has kept them in five locations in south Lebanon that it deems strategic.

But whether Hezbollah must first disarm or Israel must first withdraw remains a chicken and egg situation, and Israel, despite the ceasefire, has struck regions north of the Litani, and deep inside Lebanon, including Beirut's southern suburbs.