Shafaq News- Beirut

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem called on Lebanese authorities to stop direct negotiations with Israel and instead pursue indirect channels, urging the government to revoke decisions issued on March 2 that classify the group’s military wing as an illegal organization.

In a statement, Qassem accused the government of yielding to “Israeli pressure,” saying it cannot continue its current approach while “relinquishing Lebanon’s rights.”

He reiterated that Hezbollah would not disarm, stressing that any resolution must address what he outlined as five key conditions. These include halting Israeli “aggression” on land, sea, and air; securing Israel’s withdrawal from occupied territories; releasing detainees; enabling displaced residents to return to their towns and villages; and initiating reconstruction efforts.

Qassem said that addressing the conflict requires recognizing “the aggression as the problem, not the resistance,” adding that Hezbollah views its actions as a response rather than a cause.

“The group does not consider itself bound by the outcomes of any direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel,” he concluded.

On April 24, US President Donald Trump announced a three-week extension of a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, just days before the original 10-day truce, launched on April 16 to halt cross-border fighting, was set to expire on April 26.

Earlier, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called on the United States to pressure Israel to scale back its demands and end its military presence in southern Lebanon.

Read more: How Lebanon's fragmented power blocks a peace with Israel