Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem stated that as long as Lebanese villages are being bombed and civilians are killed, northern Israel will not enjoy safety. He emphasized that making the disarmament of the resistance a prerequisite for any agreement would mean eliminating Lebanon’s strength, and that framing the security track under the slogan of a ceasefire—meaning only Hezbollah halts fire—would amount to surrender and defeat.

Qassem insisted that any ceasefire must be comprehensive, covering all of Lebanon, not just the south. “As long as aggression continues, we will confront it with all the power we possess,” he declared. He further held the Lebanese authorities responsible for addressing internal divisions caused by their political choices, stressing that Hezbollah rejects any linkage between the existence of the resistance and the cessation of aggression or Israel’s withdrawal.

He called on officials to end what he described as the “farce and humiliation” of direct negotiations. Qassem clarified: “We are concerned only with a comprehensive end to aggression, a full ceasefire, and Israel’s withdrawal. We have not given any commitment to anyone to refrain from resisting aggression or responding to it.”