Qassem rejects idea of any new agreement with Israel

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem praised in a speech the “responsible position” of President Joseph Aoun after his remarks urging the army to “confront” any new Israeli incursion into Lebanese territory.

However, he categorically rejected the idea of any new diplomatic agreement with Israel, referring to other statements by the president suggesting Lebanon is “ready to negotiate” with the Israeli state to end its attacks.

Speaking at the inauguration of a “local market” dedicated to food, agricultural, and artisanal products in Beirut’s southern suburbs, the leader of the party first reflected on Thursday’s deadly incursion in Blida (Marjayoun district), during which the Israeli army shot and killed a municipal employee, Ibrahim Salameh.

Qassem then commended what he considered the “responsible” position of the president. The latter had declared the previous day that he had asked the army’s commander-in-chief, General Rodolph Haykal, to order his troops to counter any future Israeli incursion into Lebanese territory.

“The positions of the three presidents [of the Republic, the government and Parliament], ministers, and state officials are positions we can rely on,” the leader emphasized.

He added: “We will regain our land through national unity. The goal of the resistance is to liberate the country, while the enemy’s goal is occupation,” he continued.

He subsequently called for “pressure” to be exerted on Israel to honor the commitments laid out in the Nov. 27, 2024, cease-fire agreement.

“We need to create all conditions and exert all necessary pressure for Israel to respect its commitments and the agreement to which Lebanon has also committed. Any new agreement would be intended to absolve the enemy of guilt,” he warned, before calling on the government to “put on its agenda the study of a plan to support the army so it can confront the aggression.”

These remarks by the head of the pro-Iranian party occur as Aoun said Friday he was “ready to negotiate” with the Israeli state to end its attacks and occupation of at least six positions in southern Lebanon.

The U.S. administration, especially one of its envoys, Tom Barrack, had recently urged Beirut to agree to open direct dialogue with Israel based on the creation of an “economic zone” in southern Lebanon, meaning a buffer and demilitarized zone controlled by international forces.

Indirect agreement

“Lebanon is ready to negotiate to end the Israeli occupation. But any discussion cannot be unilateral: it must be based on mutual willingness, which is still lacking. The format, timing, and location of the negotiations will be determined later,” Aoun said Friday during a meeting with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.

“There is an indirect agreement between Lebanon and Israel, which marks a new stage. Israel must implement this agreement after Lebanon has done so,” commented Qassem.

He did not miss the opportunity to criticize Washington, which sent envoy Morgan Ortagus to Beirut this week. “The United States claims to act in Lebanon to solve the problem, but they are not an impartial mediator; they are rather the instigators of the aggression and its expansion ... What is the American position on the unjustified killing by the enemy of an official and other civilians?” he said, referring to the Israeli incursion in Blida.

“Every time an American envoy comes to Lebanon, the aggressions intensify. What is the position of the United States in the face of the 5,000 aggressions against Lebanon since the cease-fire?” Qassem continued before concluding: “We are not asking for support from partners in the country, but rather that they not serve Israel’s interests. Threats will not change our stance regarding the resistance. The Zionist entity’s demand to strip Lebanon of its power is a step toward the creation of Greater Israel, something we will not accept.”

Since the cease-fire agreement came into effect on Nov. 27, 2024, Israeli attacks have been daily in southern Lebanon and in the Bekaa Valley.

Hezbollah, which has not responded to these attacks, still refuses to negotiate with the government over disbanding its arsenal as long as Israel does not cease its strikes and its occupation of at least six points on Lebanese territory.

The Beirut government is being pressured by the United States to move more quickly on the issue of the monopoly on arms, after having welcomed last September a plan developed by the army to disarm militias, chiefly the party.