Naim Kassem Urges Lebanon To Stop Concessions To Israel And Back The Army

Hezbollah secretary-general Naim Kassem called on Lebanese authorities on Saturday to stop concessions to Israel and to rethink their calculations, speaking at a ceremony in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Kassem said, "Since the ceasefire, we have entered a new phase that requires a different approach," and he added that "the state has become responsible for sovereignty, for the protection of Lebanon, for the expulsion of the occupier, and for the deployment of the army."

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In the same speech, he argued that the resistance should support the army and prevent the enemy from stabilizing, while he said the protection of Lebanon now falls under political authorities rather than the resistance.

Kassem also framed the dispute around disarmament, insisting that "The weapons will not be handed over to satisfy Israel's objective, even if the whole world united in a war against Lebanon," and he rejected any move toward capitulation.

He tied his position to the ceasefire’s aftermath and to ongoing Israeli operations, pointing to a distinction made by the American ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, between negotiations and the continuation of aggression.

RFI described a widening gap between President Joseph Aoun and Hezbollah, saying that for more than a year the issue of Hezbollah's total disarmament demanded by Israel and the United States has dominated Lebanese political life.

RFI reported that on February 9 Hezbollah secretary-general Naïm Qassem warned, "Let no one seek to sow discord between us and the president," while also saying they "agree on several points" including ending Israeli aggression and rejecting internal discord.

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RFI said Joseph Aoun hardened his tone toward Hezbollah since mid-January and that in a televised interview marking the first anniversary of his election on January 11, Aoun described the Shiite party's weapons as a burden for Lebanon.

RFI added that Aoun later told foreign diplomats accredited to Lebanon that the Lebanese army had carried out significant cleansing operations in vast areas of any illegal weapon, and he said, "We will continue this path during the second year of my mandate, so that the entire territory comes under the exclusive authority of the state."

In response to Aoun and to the foreign minister’s stance, RFI said Qassem attacked parties and officials who are "under American tutelage and encourage Israeli aggression" and warned that "No stone will be left unturned and no one will be spared."

Al-Manar TV Lebanon published an analysis that it said documents "concessions" by the Lebanese state from the ceasefire on 27 November 2024 up to 2026, describing a pattern of diplomatic and field behavior affecting Lebanon’s defense doctrine and sovereignty.

“Since the last quarter of 2024, the Lebanese state has been undergoing one of the most critical phases in its history regarding national sovereignty”

Al-Manar TV Lebanon

The analysis said 27 November 2024 marked the beginning of a new course in dealing with International Resolution 1701, but it claimed there were "deep gaps between sovereign rhetoric and actual practice on the ground."

It argued that there was a "failure" to send effective and immediate reinforcements for the Lebanese Army to the southern border right after the ceasefire took effect, even though the agreement stipulated the army’s deployment as the sole and exclusive force.

The file also said the occupation continued control of five strategic points along the southern border after 27 November, and it described that as "a precedent in conceding Lebanese lands."

Al-Manar TV Lebanon further claimed that during the ceasefire period there were "around 500 assassinations," while the Lebanese authority limited itself to condemnation statements, and it said the analysis relied on a file prepared by the Union Center for Research and Development.