Hezbollah leader, Naim Qassem on Monday, April 27, issued a forceful rejection of Lebanon’s planned direct negotiations with Israel, characterizing the diplomatic move as a “grave sin” that threatens to destabilize the nation.
The statement follows unprecedented meetings between Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors in Washington, which recently established a fragile truce in the ongoing conflict.
While the Lebanese government aims to transition the current ceasefire into a formal peace deal to secure withdrawal from southern Lebanon and return displaced citizens, Qassem made it clear that Hezbollah views the engagement as a betrayal of national interests.
“We categorically reject direct negotiations with Israel, and those in power should know that their actions will not benefit Lebanon or themselves,” Qassem said in a statement aired by Al-Manar.
“The Lebanese government cannot continue while it is neglecting Lebanon’s rights, giving up land, and confronting its resistant people.”
Qassem further emphasized that the group remains committed to its military posture regardless of any diplomatic outcomes reached by state authorities.
“These direct negotiations and their outcomes are as if they do not exist for us, and they do not concern us in the slightest,” he added. “We will not give up our weapons… and the Israeli enemy will not remain on a single inch of our occupied land.”
Tensions remain high despite the April 17 truce. Israeli strikes have reportedly killed at least 36 people since the ceasefire began, with the Israeli military citing a right to preemptive action.
Hezbollah has countered with several attacks on troops in southern Lebanon, accusing Israel of frequent violations.
Qassem questioned the government’s alignment during his address, asking, “Has the government decided to work alongside the Israeli enemy against its own people?”
Since the conflict escalated in early March, more than 2,500 people have been killed in Lebanon, and the path to a lasting peace remains fraught as the nation’s most powerful armed faction remains in open defiance of the proposed negotiations.