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Ashura Speech Sparks Clash
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, speaking in Baalbek on the occasion of Imam Hussein's Ashura commemorations, urged Lebanon's political authorities to stop what he described as 'concessions' and move toward opening a serious dialogue with the resistance to repair the internal situation.
“called on Lebanon's political authorities to stop what he described as 'concessions'”
Qassem said direct negotiations have yielded Lebanon nothing but field concessions, and he stressed that there is no stability for Lebanon without stability in its south and all its lands.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam responded by attacking the party and accusing it of dragging the country into 'futile' 'support' wars that give Israel pretexts to attack Lebanon, trample sovereignty, and destroy its cities and towns, killing and displacing hundreds of thousands.
In the same exchange, Qassem affirmed that any aggression against the south is an aggression against all of Lebanon, and he reaffirmed support for deploying the Lebanese army south of the Litani River.
The dispute unfolded as the seventh round of Lebanese-Israeli negotiations in Rome began, with a Lebanese official source telling Anadolu that the first day concluded after discussions touched on the border file and verification mechanisms for implementing security arrangements linked to the ceasefire.
Salam Targets Hezbollah
In a post on his X account, Salam said that 'the greatest aid to Israel has been provided by those who alone dragged Lebanon into futile 'support' wars, giving it pretexts to attack our country, trample its sovereignty, destroy its cities and villages, and kill and displace hundreds of thousands.'
Salam added that Lebanon's sovereignty rests only on a single independent decision in a state with one army, extending its authority over all its territory by its own capabilities alone.
Qassem, speaking at an Arbaeen commemoration in Baalbek, condemned direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel and said they had brought nothing but "shame, humiliation, despair and repeated concessions" for Lebanon.
He also told Lebanese officials to defy the United States, saying, "I tell you clearly: with this approach, the political authority will achieve nothing for Lebanon and will not succeed in facilitating American objectives," and he called on them to stop granting concessions and instead open dialogue with the resistance.
As the Rome talks proceeded, Ici Beyrouth reported that the U.S. State Department spokesperson said the discussions in Rome bring together technical teams to advance full implementation of the framework agreement, focusing on pilot zones, Israeli redeployment in the south, and Hezbollah's disarmament.
Framework Fight Over Withdrawal
The negotiations are tied to a framework agreement signed at the end of June, under which the Lebanese army is to be deployed in 'pilot zones' evacuated by Israel, subject to the disarmament of Hezbollah, while the U.S. State Department spokesperson said the Rome discussions focused on pilot zones, Israeli redeployment, and Hezbollah's disarmament.
“a permanent military presence in southern Lebanon is inconsistent with the commitments set forth in the framework”
In parallel, a U.S. State Department official told i24NEWS that 'a permanent military presence in southern Lebanon is inconsistent with the commitments set forth in the framework, or with the long-term peace and security of both countries.'
The same U.S. position was echoed in Anadolu’s report, which said Washington warned that a permanent Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon is “inconsistent” with the June framework agreement and undermines long-term peace.
Hezbollah rejected the process, with Qassem telling Lebanese authorities to “Give us a single achievement from the seven rounds of negotiations,” and he argued that the Lebanese authorities must “acknowledge their failure.”
The stakes in the sources were quantified by Lebanon’s Health Ministry, which Al-Jazeera Net said put Israel's aggression at 4,333 dead and 12,250 wounded, while the seventh round in Rome was described as continuing as Israeli strikes and military operations inside Lebanese territory continued.
