Lebanon · updated 1h ago · 3 min read
Naim Qassem Urges Lebanon To Suspend Direct Negotiations With Israel On Nasrallah Anniversary
Naim Qassem called to suspend direct negotiations with Israel. He accused concessions of aiding the Israeli-American project.
Whether Hezbollah remains cohesive or faces leadership crisis.
2 of 3 outlets skipped it: lebanon’s president ordered security chiefs to avoid the memorial.
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ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English
“the period following Nasrallah has exposed a leadership crisis and a decline in its ability to mobilize supporters”Read the original ↗
PressTV
“resistance remains steadfast and committed to the cause of Palestine and the liberation of occupied lands.”Read the original ↗
PressTV frames the aftermath as steadfast resistance, while Asharq Al-Awsat stresses a leadership crisis and Iran-driven decision-making.
Anniversary, Qassem’s demand
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem urged Lebanese authorities to “put an end to what he described as concessions” and to “suspend direct negotiations with Israel,” accusing them of aiding the Israeli-American project rather than confronting it. Qassem delivered his remarks on the second anniversary of the assassination of Hezbollah’s former secretaries-general Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safi Al-Din, and he said the Lebanese president has the right to negotiate but has no right to violate the constitution or to relinquish Lebanon’s right to prosecute Israel. Qassem accused Lebanese authorities of responsibility for an “ongoing unstable security situation caused by Israeli aggression,” and he said they are betting on America and Israel.
Qassem said any Israeli withdrawal from a position or any withdrawal plan would be the result of the steadfastness of the resistance and the “memorandum of understanding,” not the result of ongoing negotiations. Qassem rejected the notion that the Lebanese army is a tool to disarm the party, describing the army as a “national army.”
Israel, the “breaking” claim
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem told a televised audience that Israel failed to “break the resistance” during the anniversary of Hassan Nasrallah’s assassination by an Israeli strike on southern Beirut on September 27, 2024. Qassem said the resistance demonstrated that “the masses, numbering up to ninety thousand Israeli soldiers and officers, were unable to achieve their objectives,” and he stressed that it prevented the enemy from cementing the Israeli occupation and establishing settlements in Lebanon. Qassem said the Lebanese government approved a plan to disarm Hezbollah after a ceasefire in November 2024, but Hezbollah rejected disarmament and re-entered confrontation at the start of March with attacks on Israel in response to the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Lebanese authorities said the renewed war killed more than 4,300 people and left hundreds of thousands displaced, and Qassem said “all the pressure on Lebanon today aims to accomplish what Israel was unable to achieve for two years.” Qassem added that he was ready for dialogue with the Lebanese government on disarmament, but he insisted, “But first liberate the south and allow the residents to return to their homes.”
Pressure over weapons and displacement
Kurdistan24 said Hezbollah supporters gathered near Hassan Nasrallah’s tomb in Beirut’s southern suburbs to mark the second anniversary of his killing by Israel, reaffirming allegiance to his legacy despite “the group’s heavy losses in recent conflicts.” Ali Nasser, 30, from Haddatha in southern Lebanon, said, “The former chief illuminated the path for us and God willing, we'll carry on,” and he framed the anniversary as a renewal of supporters’ pledge to follow Nasrallah’s path. Ibrahim Hijazi, 56, from Blida in southern Lebanon, said, “This is a sacred occasion for us,” and he said supporters would continue on the same path despite the deaths of Hezbollah leaders and fighters.
“Lebanese authorities say the fighting has killed more than 4,300 people and displaced hundreds of thousands.”
Kurdistan24 said Lebanese authorities reported that fighting has killed more than 4,300 people and displaced hundreds of thousands, and it added that a November 2024 ceasefire called for the group to give up its weapons in southern Lebanon and for the Lebanese state to consolidate control over armed forces. Kurdistan24 said Hezbollah rejected calls for disarmament and that implementation of a June framework agreement largely stalled after Hezbollah refused to disarm as required, while Israel said it will maintain its positions as long as the group continues to pose a threat.