A high-profile speech by Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem this evening produced few surprises, as he reiterated backing for the terms of this summer’s US-Iran deal, support for UN Resolution 1701, but rejection of this summer’s tripartite deals between the US, Israel and the Lebanese government.
Qassem laid out a position, consistent in previous Hezbollah statements, that the goal is to have Israel withdraw from Lebanon and the Lebanese Army deploy south of the Litani River. He added that the summer’s agreements hold “no legitimacy” and argued, as many opposition figures have, that the deals violate the Lebanese Constitution.
Importantly, Qassem drew a contrast between the Iranian support for ending Israeli occupation and American policy, which he called “tutelage” that can itself result in violations of national sovereignty. He presented this year’s war as a flimsy pretext by Israeli officials to try to create a “Greater Israel” by seizing parts of Lebanon.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem | Image is CC 2.0 from Wikimedia
Wednesday’s Israeli operations against Lebanon were mostly artillery strikes across the south, with attacks hitting usual targets like Mansouri and Zawtar al-Sharqiya, but some strikes also hitting farther east in the areas like Baraachit. No casualties were reported.
Israel has its elections this week and there have been concerns of Israel increasing its attacks against Lebanon once the vote is resolved, though the US has assured Lebanese officials that the broader Israeli stance is unlikely to change as a result of the election.
Israel invaded Lebanon in early March, in the midst of the US-Israel attack on Iran. The recent narrative has been that an escalation of fighting against Iran might ultimately mean an escalation in Lebanon, though since the Lebanon invasion never actually ended and Israel never promised to withdraw during any of these trilateral talks, how much the occupation is tied to other operations in other countries is less clear.
