Mahmoud Qamati, Vice President of Hezbollah’s Political Council and former Lebanese minister, explained in an interview with the BBC that the party is committed to the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, which was previously announced by US President Donald Trump. Qamati stressed that this commitment depends on Israel not repeating its violations of the agreement, as happened in the past.
Qamati stated that Trump’s announcement came in response to pressure exerted by Iran on Washington, with the aim of bringing Lebanon within the scope of the truce reached between the United States and Iran in Islamabad.
Qamati also denied the existence of any kind of dialogue between Hezbollah and the Presidency of the Republic, or any communication with President Joseph Aoun since the decision to negotiate with Israel was taken.
Regarding the issue of restricting weapons to the state, Qamati stressed that what he called “resistance weapons” is considered an internal Lebanese issue, which must be discussed in the context of a defense strategy agreed upon by the Lebanese.
At the same time, he indicated the party’s readiness to cooperate with the state, lay down its weapons and transform into a political party, if its conditions are met, the most important of which are the liberation of all Lebanese lands, Israel’s complete withdrawal, and the rebuilding of what was destroyed by the war.
Qamati’s views are consistent with the statements of Wafiq Safa, a member of the Political Council, who previously confirmed that the issue of the party’s weapons is not up for discussion at the present time, and stressed that any future discussion on this issue is linked to a set of basic conditions that begin with a “real” ceasefire and end with reconstruction.
He added that any ceasefire that allows Israel “freedom of movement,” as happened in 2024, would be unacceptable.
