Hezbollah says: Thank you, Trump

Hezbollah Secretary General Naïm Kassem has publicly thanked Iran's chief negotiator and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf for securing what he described as a commitment to halt Israeli military operations in Lebanon, including a message of gratitude to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei "who surrounded us with his attention."

"Iran has always given everything to Hezbollah, the resistance and the Lebanese people, without ever asking for anything," Kassem wrote in a letter carried by the party's Al-Manar channel.

The effusive thanks reveal what the US-Iran framework agreement has delivered for Tehran's most powerful proxy: a diplomatic shield, obtained without Hezbollah being required to disarm, demobilise or even be mentioned in the text of the deal.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared Tuesday that "any Israeli attack on Lebanon or maintenance of Israeli forces on Lebanese territory would henceforth constitute a violation of the memorandum of understanding concluded with the United States."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's response was immediate and unambiguous: Israeli forces will remain in Lebanon "for as long as necessary »,  as in Syria and Gaza.

Two irreconcilable positions. One agreement. No mechanism to resolve the contradiction.