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Hello, too, welcome to Newsout from the BBC World Service.

We're coming to live from London.

I'm Sean Lay. It's good to have your company.

We begin this hour in Lebanon, where the government says it's prepared to deploy the army

to keep Hezbollah out of southern Lebanon following a truce agreed with Israel.

But the attempted deal has been rejected already by Named Qasim,

the group's leader who wants a ceasefire, quotes,

without a separation between the south and the rest of Lebanon,

and without the Israeli enemy having the freedom to kill.

That's according to words read out on the group's television channel.

Kamal Shahada is Lebanon's minister for the displaced,

the thousands of Lebanese forced from their homes by Israel's military operation.

News'az James Menendez asked him what he made of the truth agreed in Washington

between his government and Israel. I think this ceasefire agreement has shown that there's progress.

It shows, first of all, that there's alignment between the different parties on the next steps.

The idea of pilot zones is a practical one. And I do think that for a number of

reasons, including the declared position of the Lebanese government, to eventually reach a comprehensive

security and peace agreement, that this ceasefire has better chances of success than previous ones.

The main condition, though, is a pretty big one.

And this is that Hezbollah, of course, backed by Iran, stops attacking Israel and withdraws

from southern Lebanon.

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