File photo of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun
Commenting on the speech by Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem in which he rejected the. ceasefire deal between Lebanon and Israel, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told CNN on Friday that Qassem does not represent the Lebanese people and that the Lebanese people are fed up with the wars with Israel.
“These people are not yours,” Aoun told Qassem, as he accused Iran of using Lebanon as a “bargaining chip” in its conflict with the U.S. and Israel.
Hezbollah rejected the ceasefire terms Thursday after the Iran-backed Shiite militia had initially said it would agree to a full ceasefire.
Without Hezbollah’s agreement, the ceasefire could stay “on paper.”
According to military analysts , if Hezbollah continues launching missiles and drones at northern Israel, it could push President Trump to give Israeli PM Netanyahu a “green light” for escalating the military campaign in Lebanon.
The new agreement between Israeli and Lebanese officials was reached after two days of negotiations between the two countries at the U.S. State Department, mediated by the Trump administration officials.
- As part of this understanding, the two sides agreed to create “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon in which the Lebanese Armed Forces will take exclusive control and make sure there is no Hezbollah or any other militia presence. In return, the Israel Defense Forces will withdraw from the area.
- “These steps will enable progress towards a comprehensive peace and security agreement,” the parties said in a joint statement.
President Aoun said military solutions will never bring peace to northern Israel. “We are ready, we are willing, we are committed (to negotiations to end the war),” Aoun told the Israelis. “If you are not, you will never live in peace, safety and security.”
The Lebanese president said the Lebanese and Israeli people have a “great opportunity” to live in safety and security. “They are both fed up with war since 1948. This is a huge opportunity. They both have to choose: war…or diplomacy.
About Hezbollah
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem ( L) was appointed as the representative of former Iranian Supreme leader Ali Khamanei (R) in 2024 following his appointment as new Hezbollah chief replacing Hassan Nasrallah who was assassinated by Israel in September 2024
Hezbollah, founded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982 as a member of the so called Quds Force , ignited the latest hostilities more than three months ago when it opened fire in solidarity with Tehran as Iran came under U.S.-Israeli attack.
Hezbollah in Arabic means party of God but many Lebanese call it Hezbashaytan translates from Arabic to “the party of Satan or the Devil ” to delegitimize the organization and its ideological backers.
The term originates directly from the Quran. In Islamic tradition, Satan (Iblis or Shaytan) represents arrogance, temptation, corruption and rebellion against God.
Hezbollah operates a multi-billion dollar international illicit drug network that serves as a primary financial artery to fund its militant activities, weapons procurement, and regional operations. While the organization’s leadership has publicly denied involvement by claiming narcotics are religiously forbidden, U.S. and European intelligence agencies have extensively documented its deep integration into the global drug trade
Following severe military infrastructure losses against Israel, the collapse of its supportive proxy network under the Assad regime in Syria, and a reduction in direct funding from Iran, intelligence assessments indicate Hezbollah is aggressively pivoting to expand its drug and money laundering networks to cover financial shortfalls.
Hezbollah and its backer Iran are being blamed for the collapse of Lebanon as a sovereign and independent state . The overwhelming majority of the Lebanese now consider Iran and its proxies as the number one enemy of the country
