Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah told Al-Mayadeen that Lebanese authorities cannot enforce any agreement with Israel unless they "start a civil war" with U.S. support. The statement is the latest in a series of warnings from Hezbollah figures opposing the emerging U.S.-Israel deal.
Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah escalated the group's rhetorical campaign against the emerging U.S.-Israel agreement, warning in an interview with Al-Mayadeen that Lebanese authorities would be unable to enforce any deal with Israel unless they were willing to "start a civil war" backed by the United States. The statement, reported Friday evening by N12, marks a sharpening of Hezbollah's position: while the group has consistently opposed the agreement as a threat to its interests and to Lebanese sovereignty, Fadlallah now frames the choice as one between civil conflict or abandoning the accord entirely.
As The Zioneer reported earlier Friday, Fadlallah had already described the agreement as an attempt to disrupt the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding reached in Islamabad. In that earlier interview, he warned that nothing would pass without the consent of the "resistance." The latest remarks leave little room for ambiguity: Hezbollah is signaling it is prepared to fight any government attempt to move forward with an agreement it deems illegitimate. The reference to a U.S.-backed civil war suggests the party sees the agreement as a direct challenge to its political and military position in Lebanon.
Other figures have echoed the threat. On Thursday, another Hezbollah MP warned that any concession to Israel would not be implemented. Earlier in the week, Hezbollah issued a general threat that violating the emerging agreement would lead to the "destruction of Zionist forces" in Lebanon. The backdrop is a deepening standoff between the Lebanese government and the Iran-backed organization over the country's future relations with Israel. A senior Hezbollah official told Reuters earlier this week that Iran had conditioned its talks with the U.S. on a full ceasefire across all fronts.
2 developments
- StrongHezbollah MP says group opposes direct negotiations with Israel
- DevelopingHezbollah MP Fadlallah urges Lebanon to reassess ties with the organization amid regional shifts
- DevelopingHezbollah MP says US-Israel agreement is attempt to disrupt Iran deal
- DevelopingHezbollah fury at framework deal: 'Netanyahu negotiated with himself — the field will speak'
Source and signal
- Internal intake