Hezbollah attacks the Lebanese government: "They are helping Israel"

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem threatened today (Tuesday) that "the resistance continues as long as the occupation exists, and we will confront those who join the Israeli project and carry out its actions against the resistance, its people, and the homeland, just as we confront the enemy. The only option for Israel is a full withdrawal, and it will withdraw. We call on those who bet on the USA and Israel to unite, because that is how we will win."

Qassem also said in his speech: "We are standing today before an Israeli-American aggression against us and against Iran, Gaza, Yemen, and the entire region. Its goal is to extinguish the flame of resistance, colonization, and establishing Israel as the commissioner of the American tyrant. In Lebanon, the goal in September 2024 was to put an end to the resistance, and they began with the killing of our master Hassan Nasrallah and the martyr leaders, with the pager attack, and with attacking capabilities to bring about the collapse of the resistance."

According to the Hezbollah leader, "what stopped the aggression was the Iranian-American agreement, as Iran set the cessation of aggression as a fundamental condition. The USA surrendered, and the ceasefire would not have happened without this memorandum of understanding. We believe that all direct negotiations have brought nothing to Lebanon but shame, humiliation, and disappointment alongside continuous concessions."

"What did all the rounds offer Lebanon? Israel took everything. Israel achieved political gains, but it will not achieve results on the ground as long as the resistance repels it. The Lebanese government helped Israel instead of helping Lebanon."

Returning to Rome

Meanwhile, the Lebanese newspaper "Al-Joumhouria" reported today that the atmosphere ahead of the round of negotiations in Rome between Israel and Lebanon does not bode well for positive developments.

Today, another round of talks between the parties will begin in Rome. According to sources familiar with the details, the meetings will deal with technical issues. Meanwhile, the USA emphasized that it is interested in the current round leading to the establishment of a technical committee that will focus on implementing the framework agreement.

The sources added that there is a very low chance of an agreement in Rome that will lead to further Israeli withdrawal from areas south of the Litani River.

A Lebanese official said that "talk of optimism regarding achieving a positive breakthrough does not seem realistic at this stage." The same official accused Israel of violating the agreement through attacks, controlled explosions, and excavation operations in areas under its control in southern Lebanon (this refers mainly to the destruction of terrorist infrastructure).

Meanwhile, a senior Lebanese political source told the newspaper "Nidaa Al-Watan" that the negotiations in Rome will focus on three key issues, which the Lebanese delegation sees as decisive before any move to further steps.

According to the source, the first issue will be the pilot areas for withdrawal. The parties will discuss the results of the first phase to determine the areas for the second phase. The source noted that the Lebanese side will insist that the new pilot areas be already inside the IDF control zone in southern Lebanon ("the yellow zone").

According to the source, the second issue that will be raised in the talks is the verification mechanism for the demilitarization of the pilot areas from Hezbollah weapons. The Lebanese side proposed three options for who will manage the mechanism: UNIFIL, the UN Truce Supervision Organization, or an agreed-upon third party.

The source also claimed that the third issue that will be raised in Rome will be a demand by the Lebanese delegation to stop destruction operations in areas that are still under Israeli control.