Hezbollah Official Slams Lebanon President Over Border Deal

Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem delivered a fiery speech on Sunday, marking the second anniversary of Hassan Nasrallah's assassination. During his address, Qassem strongly criticized the Lebanese government's handling of the ongoing maritime border negotiations with Israel, referring to the emerging framework agreement as a "shameful concession."

Qassem asserted that Lebanon was unwilling to surrender its territory and accused the Lebanese government of succumbing to external pressures. He claimed that while the resistance had successfully curbed Israeli aggression, external forces were now pressuring Lebanon to make concessions that Israel could not achieve militarily. "Now they say the Lebanese army will dismantle Hezbollah's weapons for Israel's security," Qassem stated, adding that Lebanon had relinquished all its leverage at once.

He further alleged that the Lebanese government was aiding an Israeli-American agenda instead of opposing it, attempting to appease Israel which remained unsatisfied. Qassem also touched upon the fighting on the ground, noting the resistance's three-month stand on the Ali Taher ridge, but emphasized that maintaining positions was not the primary objective. He explained that Hezbollah's actions were based on calculated gains and losses, and that silence on certain details was strategic to avoid benefiting the enemy.

Qassem stressed that Lebanon could not exist without the resistance, accusing the enemy of desiring all of Lebanon for itself and seeking to instigate a civil war, dragging Lebanon behind the United States. He called for a change in the nature of the diplomatic engagement, urging an end to concessions and a shift to indirect negotiations. Qassem concluded that any future Israeli withdrawal or concession beneficial to Lebanon would be a result of the resistance's efforts, not the framework agreement.