Lebanon15 August, 20263 min read
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem Rejects Lebanon Deal as Israel Plans Assault
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Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem rejected the Lebanese government's deal amid reports Israel plans assault. Qassem said Israel understands only language of force.
Hezbollah Rejects Deal
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem rejected the Lebanese government’s negotiations with Israel in a Friday evening speech, saying Beirut "is signing Israeli-imposed terms with Israeli ink." Haaretz said Qassem delivered the rejection as Israel was reportedly planning an assault, framing the dispute as part of a broader escalation. Mehr News Agency reported Qassem made the remarks in a televised speech on the anniversary of Hezbollah’s victory against Israel in the 2006 war, and he tied the 2006 conflict to Hezbollah’s capture of two Israeli soldiers.
“Beirut ‘is signing Israeli-imposed terms with Israeli ink.’”
Mehr News Agency also quoted Qassem saying the operation was necessary to fulfill a promise not to abandon Lebanese abductees in Israeli jails, and he argued that the war later became preparation for a major war in September 2006. Mehr News Agency added that Qassem said the war ended with the defeat of the "arrogant" Israeli enemy and the US, crediting unity among Lebanon’s army, people and resistance.
Force, Surrender, and Response
In the same televised remarks, Mehr News Agency quoted Qassem saying, "This action was necessary to fulfill the promise that we would not abandon our prisoners in jails." Mehr News Agency further quoted Qassem arguing that Israel, in the "known military sense," only understands "the language of force," and he said the Israelis were preparing, in cooperation with the Americans, for a major war in September 2006. Al-Manar TV Lebanon carried a separate Hezbollah statement saying the Israeli enemy must understand that its attacks and attempts to impose a new reality cannot continue and will be met with an appropriate response in defense of Lebanon, its people, sovereignty, and national dignity.
Al-Manar TV Lebanon also described the immediate context of the confrontation through its live feed, including a line that Lebanese Health Ministry said Israeli strikes on Saturday resulted in 11 martyrs and wounded 19 others. Mehr News Agency said Qassem slammed Lebanese authorities for signing a framework agreement with Israel and urged the Beirut government to "turn back from this grave sin—this shameful mistake—this humiliating error."
UN Peacekeepers and Fallout
Newsonair reported that India called for protection of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon amid heightened confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah, saying a joint statement by India and 29 other countries urged that peacekeepers must never be the target of attacks or intimidation of any kind.
Newsonair said the statement was read outside the UN Security Council by France’s Permanent Representative Jerome Bonnafont with India’s Permanent Representative P. Harish at his side.
Newsonair added that three Ghanaian peacekeepers were injured in their base last week amid heavy firing in an area of Southern Lebanon.
Mehr News Agency provided a casualty and displacement backdrop, saying that according to official Lebanese figures Israeli attacks have killed at least 4,333 people, injured more than 12,236 others and displaced over one million since March 2.
Mehr News Agency also said Qassem emphasized that what curbed Israeli crimes were the steadfastness of the resistance and Iran’s insistence on the inclusion of Lebanon in any ceasefire agreement with the US, while he rejected surrender and said "We do not accept surrender."