Qassem: Hezbollah Rejects Lebanon-Israel Agreement and Will Not Surrender Its Weapons

Hezbollah has reaffirmed its firm opposition to the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel, stressing that disarming the organization is not up for discussion, even after it was weakened by recent clashes with Israel.

Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s secretary-general, said the Shiite movement rejects the agreement and called for it to be scrapped.

“We oppose the framework agreement and demand that it be abandoned,” Qassem said in a speech broadcast by Al-Manar television.

Signed on June 26 with mediation by the United States, the agreement aims to give the Lebanese army control over the country’s southern areas. It also provides for Hezbollah’s phased disarmament, beginning in several territories designated as “pilot zones,” after which Israeli forces would withdraw from them.

Qassem rejected the plan, describing the agreement as “unjust, illegal and humiliating.”

“We accept neither the pilot zones nor the developments that would follow their creation,” he said.

The Hezbollah leader also opposed the establishment of a verification committee tasked with monitoring the implementation of the agreement and the progress of the organization’s disarmament.

During negotiations held in Rome in early August, representatives of Lebanon and Israel discussed the composition of the committee. The mechanism is expected to oversee the deployment of the Lebanese army in the pilot zones, as well as the removal of Hezbollah’s weapons and military infrastructure.

Another round of talks is expected to take place in September, but no exact date has yet been set.

Meanwhile, the situation in southern Lebanon remains tense. Israel continues to carry out attacks on Lebanese territory and still controls several areas in the southern part of the country.

Although Hezbollah’s military activity has declined in recent weeks, Qassem said the organization would not back down.

“We stand with our heads held high and we will not surrender,” he said, reiterating Hezbollah’s opposition to disarmament and to the terms of the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel.