Hezbollah SG: Washington framework agreement humiliating, shameful, concession of sovereignty; it’s null, void
In a statement regarding the framework agreement between the Lebanese government and the Zionist entity, published on Hezbollah’s Al-Manar website, Sheikh Qassem said, “This agreement is null and void, and the provisions of the Iranian-American memorandum of understanding must be implemented.”
He added, “We will pursue all necessary means and exert international and Arab pressure to ensure that the Israeli enemy adheres to the first clause of the memorandum of understanding and withdraws from Lebanon.”
He addressed the authorities, saying, “We say to the Lebanese authorities: It is time for you to retract your sins that are destroying Lebanon. This would be a virtue to be recorded for you after your transgressions. We are ready to cooperate and work together for the sovereignty of Lebanon, the liberation of its land, the expulsion of the Israeli occupier, the return of the prisoners, the return of the displaced, reconstruction, rebuilding the country, and reaching an agreement on a national security strategy.”
The Secretary-General of Hezbollah affirmed that “the ceasefire would not have been possible without the great sacrifices of the resistance fighters, their families, and the Lebanese people.”
He added, “We will uphold the legacy of the martyrs, the wounded, the prisoners, and the sacrifices of the people of the land, the Lebanese army, and all the organizations and entities that offered martyrs and wounded. We will continue as a resistance movement in the field to defeat the occupation. We did not abandon the field in the most difficult circumstances, and we will not abandon it, for this is the path to good and salvation.”
He asked: “Where is the integrity and responsibility of the Lebanese authorities towards their people and the protection of Lebanon’s sovereignty, which the American guardian refused to grant a ceasefire to? And when the ceasefire was proposed following the US-Iran talks in Pakistan in April 2026, they rejected it, thus enabling the Israeli enemy to commit the Black Wednesday massacre, in which hundreds were killed and wounded, people were terrorized, and destruction was wrought by a hundred airstrikes across Lebanon, beginning with the capital, Beirut?”
He continued: “We told the authorities that direct negotiations are nothing but gratuitous concessions to Israel, because these meetings are designed to force submission to the demands of the aggression and the dictates of Israel and the United States. You are going to these meetings in hostility and disagreement with more than half the Lebanese people, and in violation of the constitution and laws that consider the Israeli entity an enemy and hold accountable, legally, anyone who deals with it in word or deed. You have no leverage to fight with because you willingly abandoned the power of the resistance and the people, and you stabbed the resistance in the back by declaring it an outlaw in the heart of the war, from the very first moment, with the government’s ill-fated decision on March 2nd… all in service of the Israeli aggression project. Playing with words and misinterpreting them is useless; results are the measure. This is a betrayal of Lebanon’s sovereignty, according to the assessment of friend and foe.”
Sheikh Qassem stated that “the Iranian-American memorandum of understanding stipulated that the war on Lebanon should cease as its first clause. When the Israeli enemy refused to comply, Iran suspended the agreement and continued to close the Strait of Hormuz until America pressured and compelled the Israeli enemy to agree to a ceasefire.” He continued, saying, “The first paragraph of the Memorandum of Understanding states: ‘The United States, Iran, and their respective allies in the ongoing war, by signing this Memorandum of Understanding, declare an immediate and permanent cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, and pledge henceforth not to initiate any war or military action against one another, to refrain from threatening or using force against one another, and to guarantee the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon. Negotiations and the conclusion of a final agreement will be conducted within sixty days, according to Article 3 of the Memorandum.’”
Sheikh Qassem added, “The Lebanese authorities refused once again until the wise and those involved in the Memorandum of Understanding made it clear to them that the firing would cease—something they had failed to achieve—and that this was in Lebanon’s best interest. Furthermore, the negotiations for an Israeli withdrawal are solely in Lebanon’s hands, and no one negotiates on its behalf. This is a gift of honor, dignity, and strength from Iran—the land of steadfastness and pride—to Lebanon, its people, and its resistance.”
He added: “The memorandum of understanding guarantees ‘Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,’ and sovereignty is achieved through a complete Israeli withdrawal agreed upon within sixty days. This is a card of strength in Lebanon’s hands that it never dreamed of. Yet, in the ‘framework agreement,’ the authorities relinquish these cards of strength contained in the memorandum of understanding, along with the strength and resilience of the resistance and the sacrifices of this great Lebanese people, and give Israel what it wants for free.”
He asked in astonishment: “What is this appalling blunder? What is this grave sin of surrendering sovereignty to the Israeli enemy? Netanyahu is allowing the Lebanese army to operate in two experimental zones! The enemy is monitoring its deployment and disarmament steps, and the tripartite committee is complying with the enemy’s demands. The experimental period in these two zones could last for months, and no further experimentation will proceed without a certificate of good conduct from the Israeli enemy and the implementation of what Israel failed to achieve on the ground! As Netanyahu said, ‘Israel will remain in the security zone until Hezbollah is disarmed in Lebanon, and the residents will not return to the occupied territory.’”
The Secretary-General of Hezbollah pointed out that “the Lebanese authorities are legitimizing the occupation for many years to come, and this could even lead to the annexation of these lands to the Zionist entity! This is an agreement that prevents the Lebanese from returning to their land. What business does the Israeli enemy have interfering in our internal affairs in Lebanon?” Any agreement must be confined to the area south of the Litani River and must not be linked to any internal Lebanese matters concerning weapons, security, or the country’s future.
He emphasized that “linking the Israeli withdrawal to the disarmament of the resistance throughout Lebanon is a very dangerous proposition that crosses all red lines and makes Lebanon a pawn in the hands of the Israeli enemy! Under the pretext that Lebanon must disarm in order for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon, every weapon anywhere in Lebanon will be interpreted as a sign of Lebanon’s non-compliance! How can this be when the weapons will never be completely removed? No one has the right to deprive the Lebanese of their right to defend themselves and their land against the occupier of our land and the killer of our people. The enemy must withdraw because it is an aggressor and occupier, according to an agreement that addresses the immediate causes, which is what happened on November 27, 2024. Any exceeding of this ceiling is a reward for Israel after the defeat of its project, and a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty.