Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem has issued a written statement rejecting the result of the direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, calling them “humiliating” and “shameful” for Lebanon.
According to Qassem, large parts of the Lebanese public reject the outcome of the talks in full. His statement is a clear attempt to pressure the Lebanese government and present Hezbollah as the defender of Lebanon’s so-called dignity, even as the terror organization is the main reason Lebanon has been dragged into repeated wars, destruction and international isolation.
The statement comes after reports of a US-mediated understandings between Israel and Lebanon, aimed at creating test zones in southern Lebanon where the Lebanese Army would deploy and prevent Hezbollah from returning. For Hezbollah, such a move would be a direct threat to its control over southern Lebanon and its status as Iran’s armed proxy on Israel’s border.
Qassem’s reaction shows that Hezbollah understands the danger of the new diplomatic process. If the Lebanese state, backed by the US and international pressure, begins to take real control of the south, Hezbollah’s grip will weaken — and Iran’s most important terror arm on Israel’s northern border will face growing pressure from both Israel and inside Lebanon.
