Naim Qassem says deliberate talks in Washington, DC, are a ploy to stress Hezbollah into laying down its weapons.
Revealed On 13 Apr 2026
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has rejected an upcoming assembly between the Lebanese authorities and Israel in the US, calling such efforts “futile” as Israeli forces intensify their assaults on Lebanon.
In a televised speech on Monday, Qassem known as on the federal government to take “a historic and heroic stance” by not attending the deliberate talks.
The Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the US are scheduled to fulfill in Washington, DC, on Tuesday to debate holding direct negotiations between the 2 international locations.
Qassem mentioned the talks are a ploy to stress Hezbollah into laying down its weapons.
“Israel clearly states that the purpose of those negotiations is to disarm Hezbollah, as [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu repeatedly states. So, how will you go to negotiations whose goal is already clear?” Qassem mentioned.
“We is not going to relaxation, cease or give up. As a substitute, we are going to let the battlefield converse for itself,” he added.
Israel intensified its warfare on Lebanon in early March following a salvo of rockets launched by Hezbollah. A ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed group had ostensibly been in impact since November 2024, however Israel continued finishing up near-daily lethal assaults.
Hezbollah mentioned its March 2 assault was retaliation for the US and Israel’s killing of Iran’s Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei two days earlier, on the primary day of the US-Israel warfare on Iran.
Since then, Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon and a floor invasion within the south have killed a minimum of 2,055 individuals, together with 165 youngsters and 87 medical staff. Greater than 6,500 others have been wounded, whereas some 1.2 million have been compelled from their properties.
Lebanese authorities insist the precedence is to safe a ceasefire, however Israel has mentioned it needs to open formal peace negotiations with Lebanon. It has positioned Hezbollah’s disarmament as a precedence, with no point out of a ceasefire or withdrawal of its forces from southern Lebanon.
“We wish the dismantling of Hezbollah’s weapons, and we would like an actual peace settlement that can final for generations,” Netanyahu mentioned on Saturday.
Qassem mentioned the deliberate talks “require a Lebanese consensus to shift our strategy from non-negotiation to direct negotiations”, calling them a “free concession” to Israel and the US.
His speech got here after a whole bunch of individuals within the capital, Beirut, protested on Friday and Saturday in opposition to the deliberate talks. Demonstrators accused Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam of betraying the Lebanese individuals by holding direct talks with Israel, whereas it continues its bombing marketing campaign and expands its invasion.
The Israeli navy on Monday mentioned its forces had utterly surrounded the important thing southern city of Bint Jbeil, whereas Hezbollah continued to assert assaults in opposition to Israeli forces there.
Qassem mentioned that northern Israeli localities “is not going to be protected, even when the Israelis have been to enter any space of Lebanon”. He additionally accused Beirut of “backstabbing” his group by declaring Hezbollah’s navy actions unlawful firstly of the warfare.
“Israel and the US clearly mentioned they need to strengthen the Lebanese military to disarm and combat Hezbollah … however the military can not try this,” Qassem added.
