Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Naim Qassem, on Monday firmly opposed Lebanon’s planned direct negotiations with Israel, describing the move as a “grave sin” that could plunge the country into further instability.
His remarks come after Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the United States held two rounds of talks in Washington in recent weeks, marking a rare diplomatic engagement between the longtime adversaries.
The initial meeting contributed to a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, while Beirut has been preparing for direct negotiations aimed at reaching a broader peace agreement.
Lebanon and Israel have technically remained in a state of war since 1948.
“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 broadcast on Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television.
He further urged Lebanese authorities to reconsider the move, warning against its consequences.
He called on authorities to “back down from their grave sin that is putting Lebanon in a spiral of instability”.
Qassem also criticised the government, saying it “cannot continue while it is neglecting Lebanon’s rights, giving up land, and confronting its resistant people”.
Lebanese officials have consistently maintained that the US-backed talks are intended to end hostilities, ensure Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon, and facilitate the return of more than one million displaced residents forced from their homes by the conflict.
“These direct negotiations and their outcomes are as if they do not exist for us, and they do not concern us in the slightest,” Qassem said.
He reiterated the group’s stance on continued resistance.
“We will continue our defensive resistance for Lebanon and its people,” he added.
“No matter how much the enemy threatens, we will not back down, we will not bow down, and we will not be defeated.
“We will not give up our weapons… and the Israeli enemy will not remain on a single inch of our occupied land.”
The Iran-backed Hezbollah escalated tensions on March 2 by launching rockets into Israel, saying the move was in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, in joint US-Israeli strikes.
Although a truce took effect on April 17, violence has persisted. According to an AFP compilation of figures from Lebanon’s health ministry, at least 36 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since the ceasefire began.
Hezbollah has also reported multiple attacks on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, alongside missile and drone strikes targeting northern Israel, which it says are responses to ongoing Israeli “violations”.
Details of the ceasefire, released by the US State Department, indicate that both sides agreed to the arrangement. However, the deal allows Israel to continue targeting Hezbollah to prevent “planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks”—a provision the group strongly opposes.
Hezbollah argues that the agreement was not formally presented to Lebanon’s cabinet, where it and its allies hold representation.
“Has the government decided to work alongside the Israeli enemy against its own people?” Qassem said in his speech.
Lebanese authorities say Israeli military operations since March 2 have resulted in more than 2,500 deaths.
