Hezbollah accuses the Lebanese government of “making concessions” by appointing a representative in the talks with Israel

Madrid, December 5 (European Press) –

Secretary-General of the Shiite Hezbollah movement, Naeem Qassem, accused the Lebanese government of “making concessions” to Israel by appointing a civilian representative in the ongoing direct talks within the framework of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism reached just over a year ago.

He said, according to the newspaper “L’Orient Le Jour”, “Allowing the state to implement the agreement and participate with a civilian representative in the ceasefire mechanism is a mistake. They made an unjustified concession, and this concession will not change in any way the enemy’s position, aggression, or occupation.”

Qassem considered this position “another mistake” that “adds” to his decision to “restore the monopoly on arms,” considering that the appointment represents “a clear violation of all statements that stipulated the involvement of any civilian in the work” of the oversight mechanism.

He stressed that “no one in the world can prevent the party from possessing defensive capabilities,” referring to the disarmament process proposed by the United States, adding that yielding to Israel’s demands is like “piercing the hull of a ship” and trying to prevent it from sinking.

For his part, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun defended today, Friday, after meeting with a delegation from the UN Security Council, that the negotiations within the framework of the mechanism do not seek to “satisfy the international community,” but rather are “in Lebanon’s interest.”

He added, “The main goal of these negotiations is to stop the hostilities carried out by Israel in Lebanese territories, ensure the release of prisoners, set a timetable for withdrawal from the occupied territories, and resolve the controversial points along the Blue Line.”

Aoun, who described the appointment of former Ambassador Simon Karam to represent the Lebanese delegation as a “new chapter,” stressed that the authorities hope that the negotiations will yield “positive results.”

He also praised the efforts of the Lebanese Army deployed south of the Litani River since the first day of the ceasefire agreement to confiscate weapons, search tunnels, and remove ammunition, among other commitments.

He added, “The army was unable to complete its deployment south of the Litani River due to the continued Israeli occupation of the Lebanese border areas, but that did not prevent it from continuing to carry out its tasks and enforce Resolution 1701 in geographically wide areas, many of which are difficult to reach, which requires great time and effort.”

This comes a day after Lebanese Information Minister Paul Morcos confirmed holding a new direct meeting with Israeli representatives on December 19 within the framework of the ceasefire supervision mechanism.

A first meeting was held between the Israeli delegation – headed by Security Council Foreign Policy Director Uri Resnick – and the Lebanese delegation – headed by the aforementioned Karam – in the Lebanese city of Naqoura, where the headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is located.

The meeting was also attended by the US Deputy Special Envoy to the Middle East, Morgan Ortagus. The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon recently documented more than 10,000 Israeli violations of the ceasefire reached in late November 2024 between Israel and Hezbollah.