BEIRUT: Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam exchanged sharp criticism on Tuesday over Lebanon’s direct negotiations with Israel, as the two sides prepared for another round of US-sponsored talks in Rome.
The latest meeting marks the seventh round of direct discussions since the outbreak of the US-Iran war, with Lebanon seeking a phased Israeli withdrawal from southern areas.
“All the direct negotiations will bring Lebanon nothing but shame, humiliation, disappointment and successive concessions,” Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said in a televised address.
Qassem also criticised President Joseph Aoun, saying he “has not acted as an arbiter, nor as a unifying figure, but has become biased and divisive, which is incompatible with his role and with Lebanon’s strength”.
He further accused Lebanese authorities of having “helped Israel instead of helping Lebanon’s sovereignty” by continuing negotiations that, according to him, had given Israel “political gains”.
Responding on X, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam blamed Hezbollah for dragging Lebanon into repeated conflicts.
“The greatest help to Israel was provided by those who unilaterally drew Lebanon into the adventures of futile wars… and granted it pretexts to attack our country,” Salam said.
“Those who unilaterally take the decision of war and try to continue to seize the state’s decision-making, and to tie Lebanon to foreign calculations and axes, ignoring the interests of their community and the Lebanese in general, are not fit to lecture on patriotism, not to mention on sovereignty,” he added.
“Lebanon has no sovereignty except for the sole independent decision of the state with one army which extends its authority over all its territory,” Salam added.
Hezbollah has consistently opposed direct negotiations with Israel and continues to reject calls to surrender its weapons.
Although violence has declined since the Lebanon-Israel agreement, Lebanese authorities continue to report intermittent Israeli airstrikes, shelling and demolitions in southern towns and villages.
“Shouldn’t the systematic destruction of southern villages and towns… be reason for the political authorities to say, ‘We don’t want dialogue with the Israeli entity’”, Qassem said.
He also pledged “to make the utmost effort to provide the means for shelter, repairs and reconstruction”, while warning that rebuilding efforts would require “patience”.
Meanwhile, officials from Lebanon and Israel met in Rome on Tuesday for another round of negotiations under US mediation. Following last month’s talks, Israeli forces withdrew from the outskirts of Zawtar al Gharbiya, allowing the Lebanese army to deploy and residents to begin inspecting their homes and businesses.
