Hezbollah Leader Urges Lebanon to Cancel Talks with Israel

The head of Hezbollah, Naim Kassem, has called on the Lebanese government to withdraw from planned direct talks with Israel, according to a report by The Guardian.

In a televised address on Monday, Kassem strongly rejected the negotiations, which are scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C.. The meeting would mark one of the first direct engagements between Lebanon and Israel in decades.

“We refuse negotiations with the Israeli entity. These negotiations are pointless,” Kassem said, describing the move as a “free concession” to Israel and the United States. He urged Lebanese authorities to take what he called a “historic and heroic position” by cancelling the talks altogether.

The planned discussions are expected to involve the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the United States, aiming to establish a framework for broader negotiations. While Lebanon has been pushing for a ceasefire as a precondition, Israel has framed the talks as part of a wider peace process, prioritizing Hezbollah’s disarmament without committing to a truce or withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

Kassem also called for a return to the ceasefire that ended the Israel-Hezbollah War 2024. That ceasefire was previously brokered through indirect negotiations mediated by international actors, including the United States, France, and the United Nations.

Analysts warn that the stark differences in expectations between the parties could complicate the talks, raising uncertainty over whether the negotiations will proceed as planned.