Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem rejected direct negotiations with Israel, insisting only a comprehensive ceasefire and withdrawal can end hostilities.
Key Takeaways
- Naim Qassem dismissed ongoing Lebanon-Israel direct negotiations as a “farce and insult” that undermines Lebanese sovereignty.
- Hezbollah reiterated that resistance operations will continue as long as Israeli occupation and attacks persist in Lebanon.
- Qassem accused Washington and Israel of using negotiations to weaken Lebanon and advance broader regional objectives.
Hezbollah Rejects Negotiation
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem launched a sharp attack on ongoing direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, describing the process as a dangerous political project aimed at weakening Lebanon and serving Israeli interests.
In a speech delivered on Wednesday marking the anniversary of the death of Imam Ruhollah Khomeini and addressing current political developments, Qassem argued that the recently announced US-backed framework reflects what Washington and Israel envision for Lebanon’s future.
“The Washington Declaration outlines the basic principles that America and Israel see as necessary for Lebanon’s subjugation to the Greater Israel project,” Qassem said.
According to the Hezbollah leader, the framework is designed to undermine Lebanon’s stability and deepen internal divisions.
“This declaration is intended to destroy Lebanon, destabilize it, and create discord among the Lebanese for Israel’s benefit,” he stated, adding that it represents “a roadmap for the extermination of part of the Lebanese people and the enslavement of the rest.”
Qassem further warned that making Hezbollah’s disarmament a prerequisite for any agreement would leave Lebanon vulnerable to future Israeli aggression.
“To make the disarmament of the resistance the primary objective of any agreement means executing Lebanon’s strength and creating an existential threat to its resistant people,” he said.
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Resistance Will Continue
Qassem reiterated Hezbollah’s position that any political settlement must begin with a comprehensive end to Israeli military operations and a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.
“We are concerned only with stopping the comprehensive aggression, with a ceasefire and Israel’s withdrawal,” he declared.
He stressed that any ceasefire arrangement must apply to the entire country.
“It is necessary that the ceasefire be comprehensive. There can be no division between the south and the rest of Lebanon, and no freedom for the enemy to kill in Lebanon.”
The Hezbollah leader rejected proposals that would require the movement to halt military operations while Israeli attacks continue.
“As long as the occupation exists, the resistance will continue,” he said.
He added: “As long as the aggression continues, we will confront it with all the strength at our disposal, and we will strike it wherever we decide and wherever we are able.”
Qassem also warned Israeli authorities that continued attacks on Lebanese communities would carry consequences.
“As long as our villages are not safe, are being bombed and destroyed, and our people are being killed, the settlements will not be safe.”
He emphasized that Hezbollah had never committed itself to refraining from responding to Israeli attacks.
“Lebanon’s sovereignty must be the primary goal,” he said, arguing that this can only be achieved through “the exclusive solution, namely stopping the Israeli aggression on Lebanon.”
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End ‘Farce’ of Direct Talks
Addressing Lebanese officials directly, Qassem urged the government to abandon the current negotiating track and instead focus on strengthening national unity.
“We call on the officials to stop this farce and insult called direct negotiations,” he said.
He argued that broad sectors of Lebanese society reject the process.
“The result of Lebanon’s futile, humiliating, and shameful direct negotiations is rejected in full and in detail by wide segments of the Lebanese people.”
Qassem maintained that Lebanese authorities should first work toward a unified national position against Israeli military actions before addressing other domestic political disputes.
“The aggression is against all of us,” he said, calling for dialogue and national cohesion under Lebanon’s constitutional framework and the principles of coexistence.
He added that a sovereign Lebanese state backed by popular support would ultimately be in a stronger position.
“To be stronger, all your people must rally around the option of a sovereign state under your administration, to which the enemies will inevitably submit.”
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Praise for Iran
Qassem also thanked Iran for its continued support of Lebanon and Hezbollah amid regional tensions.
“Thanks to Iran for helping us reclaim our land and our rights in confronting the Israeli-American aggression, despite its major confrontations,” he said.
The Hezbollah leader stated that Tehran continues to support efforts aimed at securing a comprehensive ceasefire in Lebanon and ending Israeli attacks, while simultaneously confronting its own regional challenges.
(Official Statement, Military Media, Al Mayadeen, PC)
Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem, hear, hear!