Lebanons Government Told to Withdraw from Israel Peace Talks

Hezbollah Leader Rejects Upcoming Talks with Israel

Lebanese Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has announced that his group will not attend planned talks between Lebanon’s government and Israel in Washington, DC. The talks, scheduled for Tuesday, aimed to establish direct negotiations between the two countries.

Qassem stated that he views the talks as a ploy by Israel to pressure Hezbollah into laying down its arms. He emphasized that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stated the goal of these negotiations is to disarm Hezbollah.

In response, Qassem called on the Lebanese government to take a historic stance and not attend the talks. “We will not rest, stop or surrender,” he said. Instead, he vowed that his group would continue to fight on the battlefield.

The planned talks come amid an ongoing conflict between Israel and Lebanon, which began in early March following a rocket attack by Hezbollah. Since then, Israel has carried out near-daily attacks, resulting in significant loss of life and displacement of civilians.

Hezbollah claims its March 2 attack was retaliation for the US and Israel’s killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The conflict has killed at least 2,055 people, including 165 children and 87 medical workers, while over 6,500 others have been wounded.

The Lebanese government insists on securing a ceasefire, but Israel has stated its priority is to open formal peace negotiations with Lebanon, including the disarmament of Hezbollah’s forces.

Source: Al Jazeera