BEIRUT (Reuters) – Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said on Wednesday that only developments on the battlefield, not political measures, would end hostilities between the Lebanese armed group and the Israeli army.
“I will tell you very clearly, our conviction is that only one thing can stop this war of aggression, and that is the battlefield,” said Qassem, elected secretary general of Hezbollah after the assassination of his predecessor. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in Israel. strikes in September.
He said he did not believe “political action” could end a conflict that has lasted more than a year and is running parallel to Israel’s war in Gaza.
In a pre-recorded televised speech, Qassem said there would only be a path to indirect negotiations through the Lebanese state if Israel decided to end its attacks on Lebanon.
“When the enemy decides to end the aggression, there is a path of negotiation that we have clearly defined: indirect negotiations through the Lebanese state and Speaker (of parliament Nabih) Berri,” he said. Qassem said.
He said these talks could only take place if they guaranteed “the total protection of Lebanese sovereignty, without missing anything”, but did not provide further details.
Israel says it aims to repatriate displaced residents of northern Israel to their homes and ensure that Iran-backed Hezbollah will no longer pose a threat to Israel’s security.
Last week, Israeli public broadcaster Kan published a draft U.S. proposal for a 60-day truce that included a “side letter” between the United States and Israel, granting Israel the right to take action against imminent threats to its security in Lebanon.
Lebanese officials told Reuters that Israel’s insistence on “direct implementation” of a deal would undermine state sovereignty.
(Reporting by Laila Bassam and Maya Gebeily, editing by Timothy Heritage and Sharon Singleton)
