Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem is demanding that the Lebanese government call off direct negotiations with Israel - talks he calls a "grave sin" that is sending Lebanon into a "spiral of instability."
"Those in power should know that their actions will not benefit Lebanon or themselves," Qassem said on the Shiite movement's al-Manar television channel on Monday.
He also promised that Hezbollah will not lay down its weapons and that Israel will not be allowed to remain on occupied land.
“Foreign interests”
Shortly thereafter, a response came from Lebanese President Michel Aoun, whose government had reached a ceasefire agreement with Israel after talks in the United States.
"What we are doing is not treason, but treason is committed by those who take their country into war to achieve foreign interests," the president wrote in a statement.
He said the goal of the negotiations is to reach an end to the war, similar to the armistice agreement between Israel and Lebanon in 1949.
The relationship between the neighboring countries has been ravaged by conflict for decades and is complicated by the fact that Hezbollah's political wing is represented in parliament and government.
Attacks in eastern Lebanon
Despite a declared ceasefire in mid-April, Israel and Hezbollah have continued their attacks.
On Monday, Israel attacked Hezbollah positions in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, the Israeli military said. Areas in southern Lebanon have also been attacked, according to the statement.
Since the outbreak of the war, over 2,500 people have been killed in Lebanon, 36 of whom have been killed since the ceasefire came into effect in mid-April, AFP reported, citing figures from Lebanon's Ministry of Health.
Hezbollah launched rocket attacks on Israel on March 2, to which Israel responded with extensive airstrikes and a ground offensive in southern Lebanon.
