Hezbollah Secretary-General Rejects Lebanon-Israel Framework Agreement, Vows Continued Resistance
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naeem Qassem and Shia parliament members strongly condemned the recent US-mediated framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel, labeling it a "national humiliation and surrender." The agreement, signed in Washington after several rounds of direct negotiations, proposes the establishment of "experimental zones" where the Lebanese army would deploy alongside a phased Israeli withdrawal contingent on dismantling non-governmental armed infrastructure.
Hezbollah views the deal as a first step toward disarming and ultimately eliminating the organization. Qassem rejected any justification for direct talks with the "Zionist enemy" and demanded an immediate halt to negotiations. The group emphasized it has not committed to refraining from responding to Israeli attacks and vowed to continue its resistance as long as Lebanese villages endure bombings and destruction, promising no respite for northern Israeli communities.
The harshest criticism was directed at the Lebanese establishment, accused by Hezbollah of seeking to destroy the Shia population. Qassem claimed the agreement, under the guise of a ceasefire, aims to militarily pressure Hezbollah to cease fire and evacuate southern Litani, while maintaining Israeli presence in certain areas. Hezbollah sees the deal as part of a series of concessions undermining Lebanon’s sovereignty and fostering internal division that serves Israeli interests.
Rejecting the agreement’s conditional Israeli withdrawal tied to Hezbollah’s disarmament, the group demands a full, unconditional Israeli withdrawal from all Lebanese territory. Hezbollah considers any partial or conditional deal a US-Israeli attempt to achieve through negotiations what they failed to accomplish militarily. The organization views the agreement not as a step toward sovereignty but as a betrayal of thousands of martyrs and wounded, and an effort to dismantle the only force capable of deterring Israel.
Hezbollah reiterated its stance that resistance will continue as long as occupation persists, warning the agreement aims to reduce Lebanon to a weak, fragmented state subjugated under American-Israeli patronage.
