Hezbollah leader blasts Lebanese government concessions, rejects 'ceasefire' terms, and vows continued resistance until Israeli withdrawal
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Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said in a statement released on 27 April that the battle with Israel “began on 23 September 2024 and has not ended until now,” warning that Lebanon’s leadership made “a humiliating and unnecessary concession” driven by “submission without alternative.”
He stressed that what the US and Israel demand “is not in their hands, and what you want from them they will not give you,” and set out five conditions for any resolution: “stopping the aggression by land, sea, and air… the withdrawal of Israel… the release of prisoners… the return of the displaced… and reconstruction.” He argued that the authority “cannot continue while it relinquishes the rights of Lebanon and the land and confronts its resisting people,” urging it to “return to its people to unite them,” as it represents the whole population, not a faction.
Qassem sharply criticized the Lebanese government’s conduct, saying it placed itself “in a dangerous predicament” and committed “grave mistakes that place Lebanon in a spiral of instability.” He called on it to halt direct negotiations with Israel, rely on indirect talks, and reverse its decision that “criminalizes the resistance and its people, meaning more than half of the Lebanese people.” He condemned its silence, saying it stands “silent and incapable of carrying out the most basic of its national duties,” while Israel continues destruction, and the government chose to appear in “a single disgraceful image” alongside Israeli representatives.
He further denounced the ceasefire arrangement reached after the Washington meetings, saying it effectively granted Israel “a free hand to continue the aggression,” while Lebanese officials offered no clear public opposition.
“The authority held a meeting on Tuesday with the Israeli enemy, and after it issued an agreement in which it mentions the signature of the Lebanese government on it, a ceasefire from the Lebanese side, and granting Israel a free hand to continue the aggression, and 'the two Lebanese and Israeli governments acknowledge the necessity of curbing the activities of Hezbollah and other rogue groups.' We do not hear any comment from the officials in the authority.”
He reiterated that “aggression is the problem, the resistance is a reaction to aggression,” insisting that arms are necessary under occupation and declaring “We will not relinquish weapons and defense.” He described the choice as “liberation and dignity or enslavement and humiliation, and humiliation is not for us,” and pointed to a “Black Wednesday” in which “200 airstrikes within ten minutes… more than 300 martyrs… more than 1,200 wounded.”
Reaffirming commitment to the martyrs and displaced, he said the resistance’s strength is built on “faith, will, and capability, and this triad does not run out,” adding that its capacities are “without limits.” He concluded that “the Israeli enemy will not remain on a single inch of our occupied land,” welcoming those who support Lebanon’s “liberation and reconstruction,” and rejecting those who serve the enemy’s demands.
