Hezbollah Leader Rejects Disarmament Amid Israeli Elections

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem declared this week that the results of Israel's Knesset elections will not alter the organization's armed campaign against the Jewish state. Qassem stated the group is indifferent to who governs Israel and will not discuss disarmament as long as Israeli occupation and aggression persist.

These statements come as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing bloc held a slight lead in the elections but lacked a majority with 85 percent of ballots counted. Qassem further rejected tripartite agreements between the United States, Israel, and the Lebanese government, claiming they violate the Lebanese Constitution and lack legitimacy. He asserted that Israel is using the conflict as a pretext to seize Lebanese territory to create a "Greater Israel."

The rhetoric follows a June framework agreement between Lebanese and Israeli authorities that called for Hezbollah's disarmament, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from occupied territory, and the deployment of the Lebanese army. Hezbollah was not a party to those negotiations and continues to reject the terms. In response to ceasefire violations, the Israel Defense Forces have continued artillery shelling and strikes across southern Lebanon, targeting areas including Mansouri, Zawtar al-Sharqiya, and Baraachit.