Shafaq News – Beirut
On Monday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem called on the Lebanese government to stop offering what he described as free concessions to Israel and to develop programs to confront it, emphasizing that “Israeli aggression against Lebanon, not the resistance,” is the problem.
In a speech during a party event, Qassem said that current incidents in Lebanon “do not reflect a failure to implement the ceasefire agreement, but rather a blatant aggression aimed at controlling Lebanon and stripping it of all forms of power—military, economic, and political.”
He criticized the government’s exclusive weapons plan, the army’s deployment in southern Litani despite ongoing attacks, the readiness to negotiate, and the adoption of principles outlined in the “shameful Barrack paper,” adding that “Israel has not taken any steps, the Americans have provided no guarantees, yet Lebanon is expected to give more.”
Qassem also warned against what he called “American tutelage over Lebanon,” stressing that the United States is “an aggressor and sponsor of Israeli attacks, not a mediator.”
He rejected measures requested by a recent US Treasury delegation, urging the government and central bank not to implement them because, he said, they “do not target Hezbollah or its supporters alone, but all Lebanese.” He emphasized that Hezbollah’s Al-QardAl-Hasan financial institution “serves all Lebanese, not just one party.”
Despite a US-brokered ceasefire signed on November 27, 2024, between Israel and Lebanon, Israeli troops remain deployed at eight positions south of the Litani River and continue airstrikes and artillery barrages across southern and eastern Lebanon, including Beirut’s southern suburbs. Lebanese authorities report that more than 350 people have been killed and over 650 injured since the truce took effect.
As of November 3, 2025, Lebanon has documented 4,527 Israeli violations, including 836 airstrikes, 192 artillery attacks, 259 ground incursions, 117 demolitions, 116 flare and incendiary munitions, 385 explosive incidents, and 435 cases of live fire.