In an op-ed published this Tuesday morning in the al-Akhbar newspaper, Mohammad Raad, head of the Hezbollah-affiliated “Loyalty and Resistance” parliamentary bloc, reaffirmed his party's openness to dialogue on issues of Lebanon's sovereignty and national independence at a time when an imminent cease-fire agreement has been hotly mooted in diplomatic circles since Monday, pending approval from the Israeli government.

The MP for Nabatieh emphasized that “the Islamic Resistance is not, and has never been, locked into its convictions or reluctant to discuss the other opinion, particularly with regard to sovereignty, independence and national destiny.”

He therefore called for discussions to be held “guided by a long-term strategic vision, beyond immediate interests” with the other Lebanese political forces. A dialogue that Raad said he intends to conduct “in all humility, confidence and pride, and with bitter experience in confronting the Zionist enemy and its doctrine of combat and the principles on which its positions and projects are based.”

'Permanent threat'

Faced with Israel, an “existential enemy” with an “expansionist project” and “ideological ambitions” in Lebanon, posing a “permanent threat to our security, stability and national sovereignty ... What is compatible today with our current national interest may come into conflict with that interest after a certain period of time, be it small or large, if certain strategic situations change or if certain balances of power evolve in favor of our enemy,” he continued.

He added, “In accordance with these two rules ... the Islamic Resistance is open to any formula or proposal that ensures or achieves a minimum level of compliance with these conditions. Otherwise, Lebanon's stability and sovereignty will be subject to the fluctuations of the Zionist enemy's interests or moods, depending on the growth of its capabilities or the effectiveness of its alliances.”

The leader of the Shiite party's parliamentary group then called for the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which he described as “a model of respect for minimum legal principles and Lebanon's strategic national interest,” stressing the repeated violations of this same resolution by Israel between 2006 and 2023, estimated at over 30,000 according to the observations of UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army.

“Hostile, continuous, persistent and silent violations, without the sponsors of the resolution taking any action against the Zionist entity to put pressure on it to put an end to them without escalating to war,” he continued before justifying Hezbollah's unilateral interventions in Syria from 2012 and then the opening of the "support front" with its Hamas ally in the aftermath of the outbreak of Operation Flood of al-Aqsa.

Is the 'People, Army, Resistance' open to dialogue?

“This is what happened in Lebanon from 2006 until Oct. 7, 2023, when the enemy's circumstances and those of neighboring countries changed, imposing action in support of Gaza. This is based on the Islamic Resistance's understanding of the Zionist enemy's project and the dangers it represents for Gaza and beyond,” he continued.

Referring to his doubts about Israel's reliability in complying with the provisions of Resolution 1701, he reaffirmed that the best guarantee in the face of this uncertainty “lies in the very equation that forced the enemy once again to cease its aggression, renounce subjugating the will of the Lebanese and violate the sovereignty of their country: People, Army and Resistance.”

He concludes, “If some continue to debate the origin of this equation, its activation, or propose an alternative, then only a sovereign national dialogue represents a realistic and effective solution to settle this issue and guarantee the strengthening of the Lebanese national consensus.”