Young people ride scooters and vehicles waving the flags of Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, and Hezbollah in Baghdad on June 15, 2026, during celebrations following the announcement of an agreement to end the war between Iran and the United States. (Credit: Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP)
BEIRUT — Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem responded to the U.S.–Iran agreement with a letter to Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, expressing gratitude for Tehran’s support and welcoming the role of Iran in efforts linked to a possible halt in Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon.
“Words are not enough to express our deep gratitude for the firm positions and support provided to Lebanon, its people and its resistance, in order to compel the Israeli entity to immediately and permanently cease military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” wrote Qassem, quoted by the party’s Al-Manar channel.
“We have always said that Iran has given everything to Hezbollah, to the resistance, and to the Lebanese people, without ever asking for anything in return,” he also said, praising the Islamic Republic as “a supporter of the just cause of resistance and the oppressed.” He concluded his letter by thanking Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and called on Ghalibaf to “convey our thanks and gratitude to the Leader [supreme Iranian leader] Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has surrounded us with his attention.”
Since Hezbollah entered the regional war on March 2 alongside the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Israeli army has killed more than 1,826 people in Lebanon and injured 11,851 others, according to the latest figures released by the health ministry.
The Hezbollah secretary general is also scheduled to speak Wednesday at 6 p.m., on the occasion of the opening, in keeping with Shiite tradition, of the Ashura commemorations to honor Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, who was killed along with 72 members of his family and supporters by the Umayyad caliphate during the Battle of Karbala in 680.
The details of the U.S.-Iranian agreement, which is expected to be signed Friday in Switzerland, remain unclear regarding the war in Lebanon. The Iranian foreign minister said Tuesday that “any Israeli attack against Lebanon or any continued presence of Israeli forces on Lebanese territory would henceforth constitute a violation of the memorandum of understanding reached with the United States.”
For his part, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday evening that the Israeli army will remain in Lebanon “as long as necessary,” as it does in Syria and Gaza.
