Qassem Rejects Direct Negotiations, Sets Conditions for Any Resolution
4/27/2026 1:39:50 PM
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem issued a detailed statement outlining his position on the ongoing conflict, rejecting direct negotiations with Israel and setting conditions for any ceasefire and political resolution, which stated the following:
"The Israeli enemy, backed by American tyranny, bet on eliminating Hezbollah, its Islamic resistance, and the public united with resistance, dignity, and honor. It left no method, crime, conspiracy, or path unused, yet it has failed since the beginning of the "Battle of Might" on September 23, 2024, until now.
The decisive bet for the enemy came on March 2, 2026, when we confronted it with the "Eaten Chaff" battle. The Israeli enemy, its sponsors, the defeated, and the entire world were surprised by the resilience of the fighters, their courage, their strength, the diversity and effectiveness of their combat methods, the precise command and control of the battle, and the remarkable public support despite displacement and major sacrifices. The enemy has reached a dead end, this resistance continues, is strong, and cannot be defeated.
In this atmosphere of sacrifice, dignity, and the enemy’s defeat, the authorities rushed into a humiliating and unnecessary concession, justified only by submission without any return, not even the smallest gain. We categorically reject direct negotiations, and those in authority should know that their approach will not benefit Lebanon nor themselves. What the Israeli American enemy wants from them is not in their hands, and what they want from it will not be granted.
The entry point and solution is to achieve the five points before anything else, stopping the aggression by land, sea, and air, the withdrawal of Israel from occupied territories, the release of prisoners, the return of residents to all their villages and towns, and reconstruction.
This authority cannot continue while it compromises Lebanon’s rights, concedes land, and confronts its own resisting people. It must return to its people to unite them, becoming the authority of the whole nation, not a part, based on the consensus that built the Taif Agreement and the current constitution. Its responsibility is to reverse its serious mistakes that place Lebanon in instability, to stop direct negotiations with the Israeli enemy and adopt indirect ones, and to cancel its March 2 decision that criminalizes the resistance and its people, more than half of the Lebanese population, so that an internal dialogue can proceed with Lebanon’s interest above all, without submission to Israeli and foreign dictates.
The approach to a solution begins with recognizing that the problem is the aggression, and the resistance is a reaction to it, not its cause. The resistance’s weapons are for repelling aggression, and they are defensive in this phase due to Israeli occupation and the exposure of the enemy’s goal to occupy Lebanon as part of Greater Israel.
We will not abandon our weapons or defense. The field has proven the resistance’s readiness for great sacrifice. The sacrifices are immense, but they are the price for liberation and a dignified life, borne by our great Lebanese people alongside their honorable resistance as one of two choices, liberation and dignity, or occupation and humiliation, and humiliation is rejected. Those who call for surrender are strange, they are not targeted, they spend from others’ sacrifices, and accept limited gains at the expense of the destruction of their people and the occupation of part of Lebanon. Return to national unity so all win and the enemies lose.
The ceasefire would not have been achieved without the Islamic Republic of Iran during the Pakistan talks, following the legendary steadfastness of the resistance and its people in Lebanon. Thanks to Iran. Why did the authorities harden their stance, if a ceasefire comes from any mediator, it should be accepted, and no one negotiates Lebanon’s conditions except Lebanon. Then came the bloody Black Wednesday, with Israeli aggression on Beirut and all Lebanon, two hundred airstrikes in ten minutes, more than three hundred civilians killed, and more than one thousand two hundred wounded. The Israeli enemy justified this by claiming that the Lebanese authorities were not committed to the ceasefire. The authorities responded, leading to a day of disgrace in Washington with direct talks with the enemy. After that, the United States Department of State issued a statement claiming Lebanon’s approval without a government meeting, including a ceasefire only from Lebanon’s side, allowing Israel to continue aggression, and acknowledging the need to curb Hezbollah and other groups. No response was heard from officials, raising the question of whether the authorities chose to align with the enemy against their own people.
We still hope the authorities will reverse their mistakes. Let it be clear, these direct negotiations and their outcomes are considered nonexistent to us and do not concern us at all. We will continue our defensive resistance for Lebanon and its people, we will not return to the situation before March 2, we will respond to Israeli aggression and confront it. No matter the threats, we will not retreat, bow, or be defeated. Threaten as you wish, the fighters in the field do not bow, and they confront the strongest forces. We stand united with all honorable people, with the Amal Movement, national political forces, and figures from all regions and communities. We will not betray the blood of the martyrs, led by Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Sayyed Hashem, along with all martyrs, the wounded, the prisoners, and the sacrifices of our people.
Do not ask about our capabilities, they are not measured by time, they are built on three pillars, faith, will, and capability, and this does not diminish. Look at the resilience of the fighters, the greatness of our people, and God’s promise to the Believers, "Indeed, We will support Our messengers and those who believe in the life of this world and on the Day when the witnesses stand." You will understand that our capabilities are limitless.
Record this in history, the Israeli enemy will not remain on a single inch of our occupied land, and our people will return to their lands up to the last inch of our southern borders with occupied Palestine. As we resisted together, we will rebuild together.
All who support Lebanon, its liberation, and reconstruction are welcome, and those who serve the enemy’s interests and weaken Lebanon are not welcome."
"The Israeli enemy, backed by American tyranny, bet on eliminating Hezbollah, its Islamic resistance, and the public united with resistance, dignity, and honor. It left no method, crime, conspiracy, or path unused, yet it has failed since the beginning of the "Battle of Might" on September 23, 2024, until now.
The decisive bet for the enemy came on March 2, 2026, when we confronted it with the "Eaten Chaff" battle. The Israeli enemy, its sponsors, the defeated, and the entire world were surprised by the resilience of the fighters, their courage, their strength, the diversity and effectiveness of their combat methods, the precise command and control of the battle, and the remarkable public support despite displacement and major sacrifices. The enemy has reached a dead end, this resistance continues, is strong, and cannot be defeated.
In this atmosphere of sacrifice, dignity, and the enemy’s defeat, the authorities rushed into a humiliating and unnecessary concession, justified only by submission without any return, not even the smallest gain. We categorically reject direct negotiations, and those in authority should know that their approach will not benefit Lebanon nor themselves. What the Israeli American enemy wants from them is not in their hands, and what they want from it will not be granted.
The entry point and solution is to achieve the five points before anything else, stopping the aggression by land, sea, and air, the withdrawal of Israel from occupied territories, the release of prisoners, the return of residents to all their villages and towns, and reconstruction.
This authority cannot continue while it compromises Lebanon’s rights, concedes land, and confronts its own resisting people. It must return to its people to unite them, becoming the authority of the whole nation, not a part, based on the consensus that built the Taif Agreement and the current constitution. Its responsibility is to reverse its serious mistakes that place Lebanon in instability, to stop direct negotiations with the Israeli enemy and adopt indirect ones, and to cancel its March 2 decision that criminalizes the resistance and its people, more than half of the Lebanese population, so that an internal dialogue can proceed with Lebanon’s interest above all, without submission to Israeli and foreign dictates.
The approach to a solution begins with recognizing that the problem is the aggression, and the resistance is a reaction to it, not its cause. The resistance’s weapons are for repelling aggression, and they are defensive in this phase due to Israeli occupation and the exposure of the enemy’s goal to occupy Lebanon as part of Greater Israel.
We will not abandon our weapons or defense. The field has proven the resistance’s readiness for great sacrifice. The sacrifices are immense, but they are the price for liberation and a dignified life, borne by our great Lebanese people alongside their honorable resistance as one of two choices, liberation and dignity, or occupation and humiliation, and humiliation is rejected. Those who call for surrender are strange, they are not targeted, they spend from others’ sacrifices, and accept limited gains at the expense of the destruction of their people and the occupation of part of Lebanon. Return to national unity so all win and the enemies lose.
The ceasefire would not have been achieved without the Islamic Republic of Iran during the Pakistan talks, following the legendary steadfastness of the resistance and its people in Lebanon. Thanks to Iran. Why did the authorities harden their stance, if a ceasefire comes from any mediator, it should be accepted, and no one negotiates Lebanon’s conditions except Lebanon. Then came the bloody Black Wednesday, with Israeli aggression on Beirut and all Lebanon, two hundred airstrikes in ten minutes, more than three hundred civilians killed, and more than one thousand two hundred wounded. The Israeli enemy justified this by claiming that the Lebanese authorities were not committed to the ceasefire. The authorities responded, leading to a day of disgrace in Washington with direct talks with the enemy. After that, the United States Department of State issued a statement claiming Lebanon’s approval without a government meeting, including a ceasefire only from Lebanon’s side, allowing Israel to continue aggression, and acknowledging the need to curb Hezbollah and other groups. No response was heard from officials, raising the question of whether the authorities chose to align with the enemy against their own people.
We still hope the authorities will reverse their mistakes. Let it be clear, these direct negotiations and their outcomes are considered nonexistent to us and do not concern us at all. We will continue our defensive resistance for Lebanon and its people, we will not return to the situation before March 2, we will respond to Israeli aggression and confront it. No matter the threats, we will not retreat, bow, or be defeated. Threaten as you wish, the fighters in the field do not bow, and they confront the strongest forces. We stand united with all honorable people, with the Amal Movement, national political forces, and figures from all regions and communities. We will not betray the blood of the martyrs, led by Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Sayyed Hashem, along with all martyrs, the wounded, the prisoners, and the sacrifices of our people.
Do not ask about our capabilities, they are not measured by time, they are built on three pillars, faith, will, and capability, and this does not diminish. Look at the resilience of the fighters, the greatness of our people, and God’s promise to the Believers, "Indeed, We will support Our messengers and those who believe in the life of this world and on the Day when the witnesses stand." You will understand that our capabilities are limitless.
Record this in history, the Israeli enemy will not remain on a single inch of our occupied land, and our people will return to their lands up to the last inch of our southern borders with occupied Palestine. As we resisted together, we will rebuild together.
All who support Lebanon, its liberation, and reconstruction are welcome, and those who serve the enemy’s interests and weaken Lebanon are not welcome."