BEIRUT - Lebanese President Joseph Aoun accused Hezbollah on Monday of betraying Lebanon by dragging the country into wars, while emphasizing his rejection of a "humiliating deal" in negotiations with Israel aimed at ending hostilities.

"What we are doing is not betrayal. Betrayal is committed by those who take their country to war in pursuit of foreign interests," Aoun told a delegation from southern Lebanon, according to a statement released by Lebanon's Presidency.

Aoun said Lebanon had informed the United States from "the first moment" that a ceasefire was a necessary first step before any subsequent negotiations. He said this position was reiterated during ambassador-level meetings with Israel held on April 14 and April 23.

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He added that the Lebanese state's position was clear and that any other statements made in Lebanon or Washington did not represent official Lebanese policy.

Responding to critics of the government's decision to enter negotiations, Aoun said some were questioning the move on the grounds that there was no national consensus. "When you went to war, did you first secure national consensus?" he asked.

Aoun added that his goal was to end the state of war with Israel and that he would never accept "a humiliating deal."

Hezbollah rejects direct Lebanon-Israel talks

Also on Monday, Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said that Hezbollah categorically rejects direct Lebanon-Israel talks, noting that any outcomes from such talks are irrelevant to the group.

"We reject direct negotiations outright," Qassem said in a statement, adding that the talks and their results "do not concern us in any way." He also accused the Lebanese authorities of making humiliating and unnecessary concessions and acting against the interests of the Lebanese people.

He outlined five conditions as the only acceptable path forward: ending Israeli attacks by land, sea and air, Israel's withdrawal from occupied territory, the release of prisoners, the return of displaced residents to their towns and villages, and reconstruction.

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Qassem said that Hezbollah would not abandon its weapons and vowed that Israel would not remain on any occupied Lebanese land, adding that the group would not return to the situation that existed before March 2.

On March 2, Hezbollah announced the launch of rockets from southern Lebanon toward Israel, marking the first such attack since a ceasefire was declared in November 2024. In response, Israel carried out airstrikes targeting Beirut, its southern suburbs, and other areas.

Meanwhile, a member of Hezbollah was killed and three other people were wounded on Monday in a series of Israeli airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon, according to Lebanese sources.

Lebanon's National News Agency said an Israeli drone strike on a town near the city of Tyre in southern Lebanon killed one person, who is a Hezbollah member, while three people were injured in a strike targeting the outskirts of the southern villages of Majdal Selm and Sawaneh.

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A Lebanese security source and a source in the Civil Defense told Xinhua that Israeli airstrikes in eastern Lebanon targeted the Chaara area, hills surrounding the town of Janta, and the rugged eastern mountain range east of the city of Baalbek.

In separate statements, Hezbollah said it struck two Israeli Merkava tanks with drones, a gathering of Israeli military vehicles and soldiers with a guided missile, and an Israeli D9 military bulldozer across southern Lebanon, in response to what it called Israeli violations of the ceasefire.

Lebanon death toll reaches 2,521

Lebanon's Health Ministry said Monday that the cumulative death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks since March 2 has risen to 2,521, with 7,804 injuries.

The developments came despite a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that took effect at midnight between April 16 and 17, following weeks of intensified cross-border fighting linked to the US-Israeli war with Iran.

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that the current 10-day ceasefire would be extended by three weeks.