BEIRUT: Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has warned that direct talks between Lebanon and Israel would only leave Lebanon facing “humiliation, disgrace and further concessions.”
Qassem made the remarks ahead of fresh Lebanon-Israel negotiations in Rome. In a televised address, he also took aim at Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, accusing him of abandoning his role as a mediator and symbol of national unity and instead becoming a divisive figure.
The Hezbollah leader also claimed that Iran had emerged as a major global power following its confrontation with the United States and Israel. He said Iran would achieve further gains under the leadership of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
Qassem further claimed that an Iran-US memorandum of understanding had helped ease the intensity of Israeli attacks on Lebanon. He said Iran had also succeeded in having Lebanon-related issues included in the agreement’s first clause.
