Hezbollah’s Qassem accuses Lebanese foreign minister of acting against the state

Shafaq News– Beirut

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Saturday sharply criticized Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, accusing him of “acting against the presidency, the government, the Lebanese people, and the resistance.”

In a speech during a religious ceremony, Qassem said the absence of an effective foreign minister had “paralyzed Lebanese diplomacy,” claiming that Rajji was operating outside the state’s official policy and the current presidential mandate.

Earlier this week, Rajji stated in a televised interview that “so long as Hezbollah is not completely disarmed, Israel has the right to continue its attacks.”

Qassem accused the foreign minister of “tampering with civil peace and inciting sedition,” warning that if the situation were to spiral out of control, “nothing would remain standing and no one would be spared if this resistance is not preserved.”

He affirmed, “The Lebanese state had fulfilled its obligations under the ceasefire agreement in the southern Litani area, while Israel had carried out zero implementation and violated Lebanese sovereignty,” describing national sovereignty as it has been at zero for 13 months amid continued Israeli air and ground attacks. “The responsibility for addressing the situation lay with the Lebanese government.”

Despite the US-brokered ceasefire signed on November 27, 2024, Israeli forces continue to hold five positions south of the Litani River and conduct regular strikes across southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as in Beirut’s southern suburbs. UNIFIL has recorded more than 10,000 Israeli violations since the truce, while Lebanon’s Health Ministry reports 340 deaths and more than 970 injuries during that period.