Hezbollah MP Ali Fayyad criticized the Lebanese government's negotiations with Israel, accusing it of negotiating 'as if it were defeated' and thereby deepening the 'occupation' in southern Lebanon. The statement comes as President Joseph Aoun prepares to meet US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, a visit Fayyad argued weakens Lebanon's national position.
Hezbollah MP Ali Fayyad on Sunday accused the Lebanese government of conducting negotiations with Israel 'as if it were defeated,' arguing that the talks deepen the 'occupation' in southern Lebanon and weaken the country's national position. The statement targets the government's diplomatic track ahead of President Joseph Aoun's visit to Washington, where he is scheduled to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday and President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
Hezbollah has escalated its criticism of the government's negotiations in recent weeks. As The Zioneer reported on June 21, the group issued a statement accusing the government of surrendering to US and Israeli interests, and on June 5, internal criticism mounted over the government's perceived vulnerability to Hezbollah and Israel. Fayyad's remarks echo and intensify those earlier themes, framing the negotiations as a concession to Israel's military presence in the south.
The visit and the negotiations remain deeply contentious within Lebanon, with Hezbollah and its allies opposing the government's engagement with Israel while the government seeks to leverage US support for an IDF withdrawal from southern Lebanon. The outcome of the Washington talks may determine the trajectory of the negotiations.
- StrongHezbollah escalates rhetoric, accuses Lebanese government of surrendering to US, Israel
- DevelopingInternal criticism in Lebanon: Government endangers nation against Hezbollah, Israel
- DevelopingDruze leader in Lebanon says negotiating team in Washington is 'more Israeli than Israel'
- DevelopingHezbollah MP Fiadsays resistance rejects ceasefire as long as Israeli 'aggression' continues
Source and signal
A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.
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