Qassem asks Lebanese state to cancel Tuesday meeting with Israel
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem on Monday urged the Lebanese state to cancel a planned meeting with Israel in Washington the following day, reiterating his group's rejection of direct negotiations with Israel.
"We reject negotiations with the usurping Israeli entity... We call for a historic and heroic stance by canceling this negotiating meeting," Qassem, whose Iran-backed group has been at war with Israel since March 2, said in a televised address.
The Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the United States are scheduled to meet in Washington on Tuesday to discuss holding direct negotiations between the two countries.
"The state's inaction can be justified by its weakness and inability, but it cannot be justified for the state to become a tool for Israel by exerting pressure and taking government decisions that weaken the internal situation in the face of aggression," Qassem said.
Addressing President Joseph Aoun, he added: "Your Excellency, they are pressuring you to confront your own people, but we are all sons of one country -- we build it together and we establish it together."
"Our decision is not to calm down and not to surrender, we'll let the battlefield speak, and we reject the futile negotiations, which require unanimity," Qassem went on to say.
13 April 2026, 22:11
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First, the pope would not be happy if the meeting is cancelled. Second, if Aoun cancels the meeting he needs to stop whining about the casualties and the property damage -- particularly since Lebanon started the war.
13 April 2026, 23:26
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Qassem still does not understand that the government of the Republic of Lebanon has neither asked for his opinion nor is lacking any authority to govern on matters before the country and Lebanese.
Implied for Qassem will be "since Lebanon follows a different path than you prefer, what if anything will you do?". Especially since previous statements from Qassem, Raad, Hezbollah's members, and Iranian officials directly challenge President Aoun, And since Aoun has responded to those direct challenges by performing his Presidential duties as he sees fit and in keeping with his elected mandate, Then what should Qassem do?
"Capitulate", "chicken out", "stop pronouncing", "leave Lebanon", "get a new job doing something useful in Tehran" all seem like good choices.
Please don't let the door hit you on the way out ...
