Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said in a recorded speech Tuesday that the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding forced Israel to halt its aggression, claiming the U.S. 'surrendered' to Iranian demands. Qassem also criticized direct negotiations as bringing only 'shame and humiliation' to Lebanon and urged the Lebanese government to stop making concessions and open dialogue with the resistance.
In a recorded speech Tuesday morning, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem claimed that the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding forced Israel to halt its aggression against Lebanon, asserting that the U.S. 'surrendered' to Iranian demands. The address marks the latest in a series of statements by Qassem today, escalating his rhetorical campaign against the Washington-brokered framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon.
As The Zioneer reported earlier today (Tue 10:47 Jerusalem), Qassem first declared that 'Iran won, and America failed,' and subsequently called on Lebanese authorities to stop making 'unnecessary concessions' in negotiations with Israel. By 10:58 Jerusalem, he had described direct talks as bringing only 'shame, humiliation, disappointment, and one concession after another.' The latest speech now explicitly attributes the cessation of hostilities to the U.S.-Iran deal, rather than to the bilateral framework.
The Zioneer's coverage over the past weeks provides context for this escalation. On Wed Jun 17, Qassem called for exploiting the U.S.-Iran deal to 'force an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.' On Fri Jun 26, he told supporters that the Iran partnership 'broke' Israel's project and demanded full withdrawal. On Sat Jun 27, he condemned the Israel-Lebanon framework as 'humiliating' and vowed to block it. The current statement fits a pattern of Hezbollah seeking to discredit the bilateral deal while claiming the U.S.-Iran MOU as the only legitimate path.
Qassem's claim that the MOU forced Israel's halt remains unverified. No official confirmation has come from the U.S., Israeli, or Lebanese governments. The assertion is part of Hezbollah's ongoing information warfare to frame the diplomatic outcome as a victory for the Iran-led axis.
3 developments
- DevelopingHezbollah's Qassem says group committed to US-Iran understandings
- DevelopingHezbollah senior official claims US-Iran deal is strategic victory for Iran
- StrongHezbollah chief Qassem declares 'active confrontation' alongside Iran, thanks Tehran for linking ceasefires
- ConfirmedHezbollah chief Qassem condemns new Israel-Lebanon framework as 'humiliating,' vows to block it
Source and signal
- Open-source intake