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BEIRUT, Lebanon – In a scathing rebuke, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem has characterized the Lebanon-Israel framework agreement as a “degradation” of the country’s sovereignty, and accused the Lebanese government of surrendering to Israeli demands.
The agreement, which Qassem referred to as a “humiliation”, has been widely criticized by many in Lebanon for being too conciliatory towards Israel. According to the framework, Israel would withdraw from the Shebaa Farms disputed territory and return the remains of Israeli soldiers in exchange for the disarmament of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
However, Qassem rejected this proposal on Tuesday, claiming that the government has instead accepted an Israeli demand to disarm Hezbollah across the entire country, rather than solely in the Shebaa Farms area, in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal.
“This means the government has accepted a condition that legitimizes prolonged Israeli occupation and prevents the return of displaced Lebanese,” Qassem alleged in a statement, which was broadcast on Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV channel.
Qassem accused the government of rejecting an Iranian-US memorandum, which included a proposal to end the war in Lebanon immediately, and instead chose to offer Israel concessions that it could not have obtained through combat.
“The government’s actions constitute a clear relinquishment of Lebanon’s sovereignty and a surrender to Israeli demands,” Qassem declared.
In response to Qassem’s statement, the Lebanese government swiftly sought to downplay the Secretary-General’s comments, calling them “misleading” and maintaining that the framework agreement would strengthen Lebanon’s sovereignty.
In defiance of what he perceives as the government’s betrayal, Qassem vowed that Hezbollah would continue its resistance operations against Israel. He urged the Lebanese government to reconsider its stance and rely on the Iranian-US memorandum to secure Israeli withdrawal from the Shebaa Farms area.
Critics of the framework agreement have raised concerns that the agreement would only serve to legitimize Israeli occupation and entrench its control over key parts of southern Lebanon. The proposed disarmament of Hezbollah has sparked widespread fear that these efforts aim to neutralize the group and limit its ability to resist Israeli aggression.
The repercussions of Qassem’s comments and Hezbollah’s defiance are likely to have a significant impact on the country’s delicate politics, particularly in the run-up to the parliamentary elections, which are scheduled to take place later this year.