The leader of "Hezbollah," Naim Qassem, criticized Lebanon's plans to hold direct talks with Israel, calling them a "grave sin" that disrupts stability in the country.
Medianews.az reports this referring to "Report".
"We categorically reject direct talks with Israel and those in power must understand that their actions will benefit neither Lebanon nor themselves," said Qassem in a statement.
He called on the government to "refrain from such a grave sin that leads Lebanon to instability."
"Direct talks and their outcomes do not exist for us and are not relevant to us in the slightest," he added. According to Qassem, the group "will continue its defensive resistance for the sake of Lebanon and its people."
Recall that on February 28, 2026, the US and Israel launched military operations against Iran and carried out airstrikes on several cities. During the strikes on that day, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed. In response, Iran launched missile strikes on Israeli territory and attacked US military bases in the Gulf countries.
"Hezbollah," having joined the war on Iran's side, fired rockets and drones at Israel. Following this, the Israel Defense Forces struck southern Lebanon and the southern outskirts of Beirut, where the radical group's infrastructure is located. Israel also expanded its ground operations in southern Lebanon.
Iran, the US, and their allies agreed on a two-week ceasefire on the night of April 8. US President Donald Trump later extended the ceasefire for an indefinite period.
On April 14, the initial phase of Lebanon-Israel contacts under US auspices took place in Washington. The aim was to set a start date for peace talks to reach a ceasefire agreement. The delegations were led by the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the United States.
On April 16, US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to implement a 10-day ceasefire. On April 24, he declared that the ceasefire would be extended by three weeks.