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Hezbollah Rebuffs Direct Negotiations with Israel
(MENAFN) Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Monday hardened his group's stance against any direct engagement with Israel, issuing a firm "categorical rejection" of ongoing negotiations while laying out five non-negotiable conditions for resolving the conflict.
In a formal statement, Qassem declared that Hezbollah "categorically rejects" direct negotiations with Israel, reaffirming the group's commitment to what it terms "defensive resistance" and ruling out any surrender of its weapons arsenal.
The Hezbollah chief levelled sharp criticism at Lebanese authorities for participating in two rounds of direct talks with Israel in Washington — the first such engagement in 43 years — conducted under US sponsorship.
"In this atmosphere of sacrifice and dignity and the defeat of the enemy, the (Lebanese) authority rushed into a humiliating and unnecessary free concession, whose only justification is submission," Qassem claimed.
He framed his five-point blueprint as the only legitimate path forward. "The entry point and solution is to achieve five points before anything else," he argued, listing them as "stopping the aggression on land, sea and air, Israel's withdrawal from occupied territories, the release of detainees, the return of residents to all their villages and towns, and reconstruction."
Qassem also issued a direct warning to Beirut's leadership. "This authority cannot continue while it gives up Lebanon's rights, concedes land and confronts its resistant people," he said, urging officials to "return to their people to unite them, so they are not an authority of a faction but of the people, based on the consensus that formed the Taif Accords, which underpins our current constitution."
The statements come against a backdrop of mounting humanitarian devastation. Lebanese official figures show more than 2,500 people have been killed and over 1.6 million displaced by Israeli strikes across Lebanon since March 2.
A 10-day ceasefire declared on April 17 has been repeatedly violated by Tel Aviv. Following a second round of Washington talks on Thursday, US President Donald Trump announced that Lebanon and Israel had agreed to extend the truce by three weeks.
Hezbollah has since launched a series of drone strikes against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and northern Israel, citing Israel's ongoing truce violations as justification.
In a formal statement, Qassem declared that Hezbollah "categorically rejects" direct negotiations with Israel, reaffirming the group's commitment to what it terms "defensive resistance" and ruling out any surrender of its weapons arsenal.
The Hezbollah chief levelled sharp criticism at Lebanese authorities for participating in two rounds of direct talks with Israel in Washington — the first such engagement in 43 years — conducted under US sponsorship.
"In this atmosphere of sacrifice and dignity and the defeat of the enemy, the (Lebanese) authority rushed into a humiliating and unnecessary free concession, whose only justification is submission," Qassem claimed.
He framed his five-point blueprint as the only legitimate path forward. "The entry point and solution is to achieve five points before anything else," he argued, listing them as "stopping the aggression on land, sea and air, Israel's withdrawal from occupied territories, the release of detainees, the return of residents to all their villages and towns, and reconstruction."
Qassem also issued a direct warning to Beirut's leadership. "This authority cannot continue while it gives up Lebanon's rights, concedes land and confronts its resistant people," he said, urging officials to "return to their people to unite them, so they are not an authority of a faction but of the people, based on the consensus that formed the Taif Accords, which underpins our current constitution."
The statements come against a backdrop of mounting humanitarian devastation. Lebanese official figures show more than 2,500 people have been killed and over 1.6 million displaced by Israeli strikes across Lebanon since March 2.
A 10-day ceasefire declared on April 17 has been repeatedly violated by Tel Aviv. Following a second round of Washington talks on Thursday, US President Donald Trump announced that Lebanon and Israel had agreed to extend the truce by three weeks.
Hezbollah has since launched a series of drone strikes against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and northern Israel, citing Israel's ongoing truce violations as justification.
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