As US talks stall, Hezbollah chief defiant, says Israel to leave Lebanon ’humiliated'
The speech comes as the Lebanese-Israeli talks appeared to reach a deadlock this week amid Israel’s refusal to withdraw from Lebanese territory as long as Hezbollah remains armed.
BEIRUT — The leader of Hezbollah insisted on Friday that Israel must leave Lebanese territory unconditionally as the fifth round of direct Israel-Lebanon talks continued into a fourth day.
What happened: “Israel has no option but to withdraw completely from every inch of our Lebanese land and to stop the aggression by air, land, sea and in all forms,” Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem said in a televised address marking the Shiite holy day of Ashura.
“Israel must leave without any conditions or restrictions, and any commitment made that would go against the sovereignty of Lebanon will not pass, and no one has the right to sign anything or accept anything,” he warned.
“No normalization, no cancellation of the state of hostility, no gains for Israel, and no partial presence on Lebanese soil,” he said. "Israel must leave humiliated and defeated, and that is what will happen."
Qassem’s speech came as Lebanese and Israeli diplomats continued their fifth round of direct talks on Friday aimed at securing a permanent end to hostilities. The talks began Tuesday and were due to conclude Thursday before being extended into a fourth day. The round is expected to produce a statement of intent between the two sides.
“The Lebanese government cannot antagonize and alienate more than half the Lebanese people and continue as normal,” he cautioned, calling on authorities to stop making decisions that serve the US and Israeli dictates.
He said it was “unacceptable” for countries to push for Hezbollah's disarmament, which he described as an “Israeli project.”
Qassem stressed, “The resistance continues with its presence, its decisions, and its capabilities. It is now the cornerstone of Lebanon’s independence and liberation, and it will remain so. The resistance is this people, this land, its history, its present, and its future.”
Background: Lebanon and Israel launched landmark ambassador-level talks in Washington on April 16, more than a month after fighting resumed in early March. The sides agreed to a conditional ceasefire on June 3 that required Hezbollah to halt attacks on Israel.
But Hezbollah has rejected the ceasefire terms, insisting it retains the right to fight Israel. Israel has continued striking southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah has continued launching attacks on Israeli forces.
The latest round of talks also faced new uncertainty after the US and Iran reached a separate agreement last week to end hostilities across multiple fronts, including Lebanon.
Many observers saw the inclusion of Lebanon in the US-Iran deal as a blow to the Lebanese government's efforts to set itself apart from Iran and curb Iranian influence in the country.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun welcomed the US-Iran agreement, but stressed that negotiations with Israel remain on a separate track.
In his Friday speech, Qassem praised Iran for standing firm in the face of Israel and the US, saying the MoU was a “declaration of the defeat” of both sides.
“Thank you, Iran, and we will stay with you, and we want you by our side, and we want to be united,” he said.
What it means: The extension of talks between Israeli and Lebanese civilian officials and senior military officers appears to be a last-ditch US effort to secure a framework agreement.
A sticking point that emerged in this week's talks is the establishment of the so-called pilot zones outlined in the June 3 ceasefire, under which the Lebanese military would assume full security control after an Israeli withdrawal.
Israel has refused to withdraw from its self-declared buffer zone in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed and no longer poses a threat to communities in northern Israel.
Israeli forces have occupied swaths of southern Lebanon since March, establishing what Israel calls the Yellow Line, a buffer extending roughly six miles (10 kilometers) into Lebanese territory.
Know more: As Israeli forces remain inside Lebanese territory, France and Italy on Thursday proposed creating a multinational coalition to replace the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon. UNIFIL's mandate is set to expire in 2027.
Following talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron said, “We want to launch a coalition for the post-UNIFIL arrangement” in coordination with the UN and EU.
In a statement on Friday, Aoun welcomed the joint French-Italian initiative, calling it “a sincere expression of the international commitment to supporting Lebanon’s sovereignty and stability.”
Established in 1978 following Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon, UNIFIL has patrolled the Lebanese side of the Israel-Lebanon border for nearly five decades. Its mandate was significantly expanded under UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.
Today, around 7,400 peacekeepers patrol the border area, including the Blue Line, the demarcation between Israel and Lebanon.
Israel has long accused UNIFIL of failing to prevent Hezbollah attacks, while the Iranian-backed group alleges that some peacekeepers are spies for Israel.
