Hezbollah members during the funeral of Haitham Ali Tabatabai in Beirut’s southern suburbs on November 24, 2025. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine / L'Orient-Le Jour)
Hezbollah on Saturday welcomed the visit of Pope Leo XIV to Lebanon, set to begin the following day, and sent him a letter urging him to “take positions that reject the injustice and attacks” carried out by Israel against the country.
In the letter, published notably by al-Manar, a Hezbollah-affiliated channel, the party said it “warmly welcomes” the pontiff and thanks him for his visit to a country “that God has endowed with a special geographic position and harmonious sectarian diversity.” The party, led by Sheikh Naim Qassem, added that the root of today’s global conflicts lies in “the refusal of some to recognize the rights of others,” and that this “erosion of respect for human rights … fuels tendencies toward greed, domination, control and the use of force instead of justice.”
Israel benefits from “unlimited support from major powers”
In this context, the party said it “counts on” the pope taking positions during his stay that “reject the injustice and attacks to which Lebanon is subjected” by Israeli “invaders,” who still occupy at least six positions on Lebanese soil, and “by those who support them,” likely referring to the United States, the country of Pope Leo XIV’s origin.
Hezbollah further denounced the “suffering” of the Lebanese due to the occupation in the South, the near-daily attacks, and the “threat” they pose “to the country’s security and stability.” It also criticized Israeli “greed,” saying Israel seeks to “control Lebanon’s waters, land, and gas resources” through “expansionist ambitions that have no limit.” The party again condemned the fact that the Israeli state “unfortunately benefits from unlimited support from major powers that share its desire for domination and its greed in seizing the interests of our country and our region.”
'Commitment to national sovereignty'
Since the cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel came into effect on Nov. 27, 2024 — ending nearly 13 months of fighting — the Israeli army has violated the agreement more than 12,000 times, almost daily, through incursions, airstrikes, artillery fire, destruction of buildings, shootings at civilians, abductions, booby-trapped structures and the installation of military posts on Lebanese territory. The Israeli military says it is targeting attempts to rebuild and transfer weapons to the party, which under the agreement is supposed to be fully disarmed. While Hezbollah accepted to surrender its weapons south of the Litani River, in the border zone with Israel, it refuses to do so nationwide.
According to the letter, Hezbollah wants to “seize the occasion of the visit to affirm its commitment to coexistence, consensual democracy, the preservation of internal security and stability, and our commitment to national sovereignty and its protection, by standing alongside our army and our people.” Hezbollah also condemned the “tragedy” unfolding in Gaza and the international community’s “refusal” to resort to “justice and law” to resolve the conflict, which it described as an “established genocide,” before wishing the pope a visit “filled with rest and safety.”
With 'the Bible as a reference,' Kabalan rejects negotiations with Tel Aviv
Jaafarite Mufti Ahmad Kabalan, who is close to the Shiite tandem, also welcomed Pope Leo XIV’s visit in a politically charged message reported by the state-run National News Agency. “This visit serves to affirm the Church’s role as a supporter of oppressed peoples and subjugated nations,” Kabalan wrote. “There is no people more oppressed, more orphaned, more afflicted than those of Gaza, Palestine and all other peoples victimized by Zionist tyranny in the Middle East, including in Lebanon and Syria.”
He rejected any negotiations with Israel: “As long as we take the Bible, the Quran, and the charters of divine justice as our criteria, we cannot accept that this country [Lebanon] — sanctified by so many sacrifices — negotiate with Zionist evil,” he declared. Earlier in November, Hezbollah had already reiterated its refusal of “political negotiations” with Israel after President Joseph Aoun said Lebanon “has no other choice but to negotiate with Israel.”
'Lebanon is filled with joy, hope and great optimism,' says Druze sheikh
For his part, the Druze spiritual leader, Sheikh Akl Sami Abi el-Mona, said Saturday that “Lebanon today is filled with joy, hope and great optimism thanks to the anticipated visit of His Holiness the Pope, especially in this delicate period we are experiencing, whether on the security, social or economic level.” In a radio interview, he stressed that “Lebanon needs the ray of hope represented by this visit.”
The Druze dignitary added: “Blessed are the peacemakers, and blessed are we all if we can advance with this initiative and embrace peace.” The phrase “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God,” from Matthew 5:9 in the New Testament, is the motto of the papal visit to Lebanon.
Sheikh Akl also highlighted the importance of Monday’s interfaith gathering in Martyrs’ Square, in downtown Beirut, which will “reaffirm diversity within national and human unity,” stressing the importance of “partnership” among all components of Lebanese society.
Such partnership, he said, is “the shield of reform, and we want to translate it into economic and development achievements on the ground, in order to build economic institutions that will bring back emigrants.”
Around 300 Christian and Muslim religious leaders from across the country will attend the gathering, held under the banner of “hope” and intercommunal dialogue.
Israel continues attacks on southern Lebanon, demolishes buildings in Bint Jbeil