Hezbollah Chief Rejects Disarmament and Talks With Israel, Vows to Continue Fighting - Israel Security
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem rejected the prospect of holding cease-fire negotiations with Israel, saying that the group's militants will continue fighting "without limits."
In a statement Hezbollah published on Wednesday, Qassem also rejected the Lebanese government's push to disarm the group, saying that disarmament while Israeli strikes continue is "a step towards Lebanon's disappearance and the realization of Israel's dream of 'Greater Israel.'"
A European diplomat told Haaretz that Lebanon's willingness to negotiate under fire has waned in the past two weeks, after the government in Beirut failed to agree on the composition of its delegation for the talks.
A source familiar with the details said that another reason for the lack of progress in the talks is the Lebanese government's fear of being perceived as "collaborating with the enemy" while Israel attacks sites in Beirut and across southern Lebanon, and blows up bridges over the Litani River.
In his Wednesday statement, Qassem said Hezbollah's decision to join the Iran war earlier this month was a response to Israeli strikes that continued after the sides signed a cease-fire agreement in November 2024.
"The U.S.-Israeli aggression on Lebanon did not stop on November 27, 2024, and the Israeli enemy did not abide by the agreement, but continued its aggression for fifteen months," Qassem said in his statement.
"Hezbollah chose the right moment to respond to the aggression and defend Lebanon," he added, saying that Hezbollah militants are "determined to continue without limits and are ready to sacrifice without limits."
Negotiations with Israel are "inherently unacceptable when it occupies land and commits daily aggression," the militant leader said in his statement. Qassem added that Lebanon's government "should not make decisions that serve the Israeli entity," urging it to "revoke its decision to criminalize the resistance and the resisters."
Sirens continued sounding across northern Israel on Wednesday amid rocket fire from Lebanon, with Israel Police saying a cluster missile fired from the country hit a residential neighborhood in Kiryat Shmona, near the Lebanese border. Hezbollah rockets also wounded two in Karmiel in the central Galilee.
Police added that officers are sweeping the area for unexploded munitions, urging locals to keep away from suspicious objects and saying the sweeps will continue until the threat is ruled out.
On Tuesday, Hezbollah launched at least 90 rockets and attack drones at northern Israel throughout Tuesday, killing a woman in northern Israel's Mahanayim intersection and lightly wounding two other people.
The fatality was named as Nuriel Dubin, 27, from the community of Bnei Yehuda. Dubin lived on Moshav Margaliot with her fiancé, Yedid Sabagi, and the two were set to marry in September.
The Karmiel municipality in northern Israel reported three impact sites in the town, including one near a school's sports complex. Children who were playing at the complex remained unharmed after sheltering during the strike.