Lebanese Prime Minister and Hezbollah Leader Clash Amid Israel-Lebanon Talks in Rome

A sharp public confrontation unfolded between Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Hezbollah Secretary-General Naeem Qassem amid renewed direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in Rome. The dispute highlights deepening divisions within Lebanon over the country's future and its stance on negotiations with Israel.

In a televised speech, Qassem vehemently criticized the direct negotiations with Israel, claiming they would bring Lebanon only "shame, humiliation, and successive concessions." He accused Lebanese President Joseph Aoun of bias and division, failing to act as a unifying figure. Qassem warned that Hezbollah would confront anyone cooperating with the Israeli project but affirmed his belief in a united Lebanon, emphasizing that any harm to southern Lebanon is harm to the entire country.

Prime Minister Mikati responded with a strong rebuke of Hezbollah, stating that those who unilaterally decide on war have no right to claim patriotism. He blamed Hezbollah for dragging Lebanon into "useless proxy wars" and accused the group of tying Lebanon to external agendas. Mikati stressed that true sovereignty requires a single, independent decision for one state with one army, implicitly calling for military authority to rest solely with the Lebanese Armed Forces rather than Hezbollah.

Despite the tensions, Mikati affirmed his government's commitment to demanding Israel's withdrawal from all Lebanese sovereign territory, the return of prisoners, and the repatriation of displaced persons. The confrontation comes as a new round of US-mediated direct talks between Israel and Lebanon began in Rome, focusing on security arrangements, Israeli troop withdrawals from southern Lebanon, Lebanese army deployment, and broader bilateral agreements, moves strongly opposed by Hezbollah.