The IRGC demanded Thursday that Israel halt attacks on Lebanon and withdraw to internationally recognized borders, calling full withdrawal an "initial condition" for any ceasefire acceptance.
"Israel must immediately stop attacks on the Lebanese people, withdraw behind international borders, evacuate occupied Lebanese territories and recognize Lebanon's territorial integrity", the Guards said in a statement carried by Iran's Tasnim news agency.
The statement came as Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shiite militant group, rejected a ceasefire renewal agreement negotiated by Israeli and Lebanese diplomats in Washington, according to a Hezbollah official cited by AFP.
Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem called the talks "absurd, humiliating and shameful" for Lebanon, and said the Washington agreement aligned with a U.S.-Israeli plan to incorporate Lebanon into a "greater Israel" project.
"As long as the occupation continues, Hezbollah will continue its resistance", Kassem said, cited by L'Orient-le Jour, while thanking Iran for its support.
The U.S. announced Wednesday that Lebanon and Israel had agreed to renew a ceasefire — originally declared in April — on condition that Hezbollah cease all fighting and withdraw its fighters from southern Lebanon. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the agreement could take effect within 24 hours if all parties approved it. Reuters noted his remarks appeared directed at Hezbollah.
Israel, which launched a military offensive in southern Lebanon on March 2 aimed at eliminating Hezbollah, said it would not withdraw from the south.
A soldier serving with the U.N. peacekeeping force UNIFIL died Thursday from wounds sustained in a mortar attack on his position near Marjayoun in southeastern Lebanon the previous evening. Two other peacekeepers were wounded.
UNIFIL said an investigation was underway and called the violence a potential war crime. "Deliberate attacks on peacekeepers are grave violations of international humanitarian law", the force said.
The European Union announced an additional EUR 100 million in aid to the Lebanese armed forces. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the latest ceasefire represented an opportunity to prevent a return to full-scale hostilities, but cautioned that the peacekeeper's death and ongoing skirmishes highlighted the fragility of any agreement.
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Source: Polish Radio, PAP