Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem on Monday reaffirmed his rejection of proposals to disarm the terror group as part of the ongoing direct talks between Israel and Lebanon.
“We will not give up our weapons and defense,” the Iranian-backed terrorist leader vowed in a written statement, according to a translation by Tehran’s Press TV outlet. “The field has shown that the resistance is ready for a Karbala-like epic,” he added, referencing a brutal 7th-century battle revered in Shi’ite tradition for its message of sacrifice and martyrdom.
Qassem thanked Tehran for its insistence on including Lebanon in the ceasefire talks with the United States, claiming that the truce “would not have been achieved if the Islamic Republic of Iran had not been involved in the Pakistan negotiations.”
Hezbollah “categorically” rejects Lebanon’s decision to engage in direct talks with Jerusalem, Qassem continued, calling the negotiations a “grave sin” that was “putting Lebanon in a spiral of instability.”
“These direct negotiations and their outcomes are as if they do not exist for us, and they do not concern us in the slightest,” the top terrorist declared.
“No matter how much the enemy threatens, we will not back down, we will not bow down, and we will not be defeated,” vowed Qassem.
Hezbollah began firing rockets, missiles and drones at Israel on March 2, in retaliation for the Jewish state’s targeted killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Khamenei was eliminated in the opening strikes of “Operation Roaring Lion/Epic Fury” against the Islamic regime on Feb. 28.
In response to the terrorist organization’s violation of the U.S.-brokered Nov. 27, 2024, truce agreement, Jerusalem launched an aerial campaign against Hezbollah and ordered IDF troops to advance and take control of additional areas in Southern Lebanon to halt cross-border attacks.
Jerusalem and Beirut on April 16 agreed to a 10-day ceasefire following mediation by U.S. President Donald Trump. Last week, the two countries agreed to extend the ceasefire for three more weeks following historic direct talks in Washington, D.C.
