Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem issued a statement in which he addressed the framework agreement concluded between the Lebanese authority and Israel, considering that the Lebanese authority had abandoned its responsibilities towards protecting Lebanon’s sovereignty, and criticized its previous rejection of the ceasefire that was proposed during the US-Iranian talks in April 2026, considering that this paved the way for the Israeli escalation that the country witnessed.
Qassem believed that the direct negotiations with Israel represented “free concessions,” considering that they were completely subject to Israeli and American dictates, and that they took place in light of internal Lebanese division, and without the authority possessing the cards of power, after it had, as he put it, abandoned the power of the resistance and the people, and considered the resistance to be outlawed since the government’s decision issued on March 2.
He pointed out that the US-Iranian memorandum of understanding made stopping the war on Lebanon its first item, considering that Iran stopped implementing the agreement when Israel refused to adhere to the ceasefire, and continued to close the Strait of Hormuz until the United States put pressure on Israel to stop the fire.
He added that the memorandum stipulated guaranteeing Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and reaching a final agreement within 60 days, considering that this memorandum constituted a card of strength for Lebanon, but the authority, according to him, abandoned it in the framework agreement and gave Israel what it wanted.
Qassem criticized linking the Israeli withdrawal to the disarmament of Hezbollah, considering that this proposal crosses all red lines and makes Lebanon “a puppet in the hands of the Israeli enemy.” He also accused the authority of granting Israel the right to monitor the deployment of the Lebanese army and linking any withdrawal to an Israeli assessment, which, as he put it, legitimizes Israel’s presence in Lebanese territory for a long period and deprives the people of returning to their villages.
He stressed that any agreement must be limited to addressing the situation south of the Litani River, and not extend to Lebanese internal affairs or the arms file.
Qassem described the framework agreement as “humiliation, disgrace, and a waiver of sovereignty,” considering it “non-existent,” calling for the implementation of the provisions of the American-Iranian memorandum of understanding, and stressing the continuation of work by all means and international and Arab pressure to oblige Israel to withdraw from Lebanon.
He also called on the Lebanese authority to reverse what he described as “sins,” stressing Hezbollah’s readiness to cooperate to liberate lands, recover prisoners, return families, rebuild, and build a national security strategy.
He concluded by stressing that the ceasefire would not have been achieved without the sacrifices of the resistance fighters and the Lebanese people, stressing that Hezbollah will continue, as he put it, the path of resistance until the occupation ends.
