Hezbollah chief: Iran deal a ‘great victory,’ can be used to expel Israel from Lebanon

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Wednesday hailed an understanding reached between Tehran and Washington to end the regional war as a “great victory,” calling it a “pivotal point” for Lebanon.

Although the US-Iran deal to end the Middle East war has not been officially released, American and Iranian officials, as well as mediator Pakistan, have said it includes Lebanon.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, meanwhile, insisted his country’s negotiations with Israel in Washington were independent of the regional deal.

In a televised address, Qassem hailed the deal as a “great victory” for Iran, thanking his terror group’s backer for “linking the Lebanese arena” to the accord and “forcing Israel to stop its aggression” on the country.

Qassem urged Lebanon to take advantage of “this pivotal point following the agreement… to achieve the expulsion of Israel” from Lebanese territory.

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After Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war with rocket fire at Israel in support of Tehran, Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground invasion, with troops still occupying southern Lebanese territory.

Lebanon-Israel talks

Under US pressure, Lebanon has been holding direct talks with Israel in Washington since April, seeking to end the hostilities and separate the conflict from the regional war, but the Iran-US deal announcement has reshuffled the cards.

The talks, which Israel has said are ultimately aimed at securing a full peace deal while Lebanon has said they are only focused on de-escalation, have faced an uphill battle since Hezbollah has vowed not to recognize or abide by any deal they yield, raising the prospect of a renewed civil war in Lebanon.

“The ceiling for the negotiations with the Israeli enemy is mutual security… and any proposal under the banner of disarmament will not pass, as this is an Israeli recipe for taking everything and wrecking the country,” Qassem said.

Hezbollah has urged authorities to abandon the direct talks and has rejected a Lebanese government decision to disarm the terror group.

President Aoun instead said, “The assurances we have received, and what we insist on, is that Lebanon’s path in the negotiations is independent, though we are certainly for a ceasefire and for any country that helps us, including Iran,” according to a statement from his office.

“Interference in Lebanese affairs is not permitted,” he added.

Aoun expressed hope that next week’s fifth round of talks “will be more positive, particularly considering the US administration’s great interest in Lebanon.”

“The Lebanese state is sovereign in its decision-making, and for the first time, it is the one conducting the negotiations, and nobody is negotiating for us,” he said.

“I reassure the Lebanese that nobody is tying us to any other country, and any settlement will be through us, not at our expense,” he added.

Qassem on Wednesday urged Lebanese authorities not to “agree with Israel on its demands interfering in our internal affairs.”

“Everything linked to organizing our domestic situation, whether the issue of weapons or the economy, or the national security strategy or defense strategy… it all must be completely outside the negotiations. This we discuss internally,” he said.

“In any negotiation, the main demand must be Lebanon’s sovereignty,” he added.

Hezbollah’s attacks disrupted the lives of tens of thousands of people in northern Israel who were repeatedly driven to seek safety in bomb shelters at all hours of the day and night, playing havoc with their daily lives. Many of those residents had evacuated their towns during a previous round of Hezbollah attacks, which began in October 2023 and came to a halt in November 2024.

While violence has declined in Lebanon since the US-Iran agreement was announced on Monday, Israeli strikes on the south have still killed at least five people since then, according to NNA. Lebanese officials do not distinguish between noncombatants and fighters in their tallies. Hezbollah has also continued to fire at Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon.