Hezbollah chief says he backs Beirut's diplomatic path 'to end Israeli agression'
The neighboring states, officially still at war, began direct talks earlier this week
Hezbollah leader Naïm Qassem assured on Friday that his movement supported the diplomatic strategy undertaken by the Lebanese government to put an end to Israeli strikes in the south of the country, despite its reservations about some of Beirut’s recent choices. In a televised address, he said that Lebanon had chosen “diplomacy to end Israeli aggression” and stated: “We support this approach.”
This statement comes a year after the entry into force of a ceasefire theoretically enforced along the border, but regularly undermined by Hezbollah's attempts to rebuild its terror infrastructure in the area —demolished by the IDF during a devastating 11-day escalation in 2024 — that draw Israeli reprisals. For Qassem, the diplomatic option remains "the best way" to protect Lebanon, while emphasizing that his movement remains ready to respond militarily to any escalation.
However, the Hezbollah leader criticized the Lebanese government's decision to appoint a civilian to represent Beirut on the committee responsible for monitoring the ceasefire. He described this initiative as a "mistake," considering it an unnecessary precedent in a framework historically reserved for the military.
On Wednesday, Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives took part, for the first time, in a meeting of this body, an event described as the first direct talks between the two countries in several decades, even though they remain officially in a state of war.