Beirut, April 19 -- Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem asserted on Saturday that the current 10-day truce with Israel cannot be a unilateral arrangement.

According to a report by Al Jazeera, Qassem vowed that his fighters are prepared to retaliate against any Israeli strikes targeting Lebanese territory.

In his initial response on Saturday to the ceasefire brokered by the United States, Qassem characterised the diplomatic process as "an insult to our country and our homeland, Lebanon, that America dictates its text and speaks on behalf of the Lebanese government."

These remarks follow a significant diplomatic development in Washington, where ambassadors from Lebanon and Israel held meetings ahead of anticipated direct negotiations, the first...