Hezbollah MP Hussein al-Hajj Hassan at a gathering as part of the Resistance and Liberation Day celebrations in the Bekaa on June 7, 2026. (Credit: Our correspondent Sarah Abdallah)
Hezbollah MP Hussein al-Hajj Hassan has criticized President Joseph Aoun for his attempts to "make peace with Israel," the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported Sunday.
"[On Friday] President Joseph Aoun spoke of peace with Israel. Why such haste, Mr. President? A significant portion of the Lebanese people will not accept peace with Israel. You are the president of all Lebanese, and it is your duty to listen to all of them. You cannot make a decision of such gravity," Hajj Hassan said during a gathering organized for Resistance and Liberation Day.
"You said that the secretary general of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, does not represent the Lebanese people. We respond to you that Sheikh Naim Qassem is the head of Hezbollah, and there are 15 MPs who represent him in Parliament, within a bloc that secured 320,000 votes," he added.
On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called on President Aoun, who had the previous day urged Tehran to stop "interfering" in his country's affairs, to "save" Lebanon from its "real enemy," Israel.
The death toll from Israeli attacks in Lebanon has reached 3,593 dead and 10,990 injured since March 2. The cease-fire reached last week in direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel in Washington collapsed within 24 hours.
