The leader of Hezbollah called on Lebanese officials to reject US-led peace talks scheduled to be held with Israel on Tuesday, saying the terror group would not accept surrender and would continue to take revenge on the Jewish state.
In a televised speech on the eve of the meeting, Naim Qassem called on leaders in Lebanon to cancel the talks in Washington, as he pledged that the Iran-backed group would not accept any conditions for a ceasefire with Israel.
Qassem said: “We call on the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister to withdraw from these negotiations, which we categorically reject.”
He added: “Our choice is to resist and confront this enemy, and we consider these negotiations worthless and will only provide the enemy with free concessions.”
Qassem criticized the peace talks and described them as hypocritical given the continued Israeli air strikes on southern Lebanon, saying that the United States helped facilitate those attacks.
The Hezbollah leader went so far as to claim that Israel’s real goal in the war was the complete annexation of Lebanon, and spread a conspiracy theory that the Jewish state wants to overrun the entire Middle East.
The heated response comes as Israel and Hezbollah continue to wage war despite a ceasefire in Iran, with the fighting threatening to collapse the fragile truce.
The Jewish state insists that the strikes against Hezbollah are aimed at ensuring the safety of northern Israel, which lies within walking distance of the group’s rocket launchers.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said he supports a ceasefire as the conflict escalates and continues to impact the country’s security forces, first responders and UN peacekeepers.
More than 2,000 people have been killed in Lebanon since the current conflict broke out on March 2, according to health officials, who do not differentiate between civilians and terrorists.
Aoun stresses that the upcoming negotiations are “the responsibility of the Lebanese state and not any other party,” in a clear reference to Hezbollah.
European leaders also called for an end to the fighting. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to adhere to a ceasefire on Monday ahead of peace talks in Washington.
With mail wires