Hezbollah leader vows to never surrender, calls for Lebanon to withdraw from negotiations

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Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem has vowed that the group will not surrender and will continue to defend Lebanon, rejecting disarmament and calling for an end to direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel. His statements, made in a series of addresses and written messages in May 2026, have drawn sharp rebuke from the United States and have prompted analysts to warn of a possible civil conflict in Lebanon.

Coverage Comparison

Reports on Qassem's statements come from multiple outlets, including The Jerusalem Post, Russia's TASS, and The Hindu, with consistent coverage of his core messages but differing emphasis. The Jerusalem Post highlighted the US reaction, quoting Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemning Hezbollah's "reckless call to overthrow Lebanon's democratically elected government," and framing the group as a "terror group" intent on destabilization. TASS presented Qassem's words without the same label, focusing instead on the group's declared intention to retain weapons for defense against "Israeli aggression" and the call for Israeli troop withdrawal. The Hindu provided neutral coverage, emphasizing that Hezbollah's weapons are not part of upcoming negotiations and noting the group's determination to continue fighting.

Key Claims

Qassem, in a May 12 statement ahead of a scheduled third round of Israel-Lebanon talks in Washington, said: "We will not surrender and we will continue to defend Lebanon and its people, however long it takes and however great the sacrifices... we will not abandon the battlefield and we will turn it into hell for Israel." He also stressed that "Nobody outside Lebanon has anything to do with the weapons, the resistance... this is an internal Lebanese matter and not part of negotiations with the enemy."

On May 24, in a speech commemorating "Resistance and Liberation Day," Qassem addressed disarmament directly: "There is no such thing as exclusivity of weapons or disarming Hezbollah," adding that "Disarmament is extermination, and this is something we cannot accept." He also claimed that disarmament would remove Lebanon's "defensive capability... as a prelude to extermination."

The US, through Secretary of State Marco Rubio, condemned the Hezbollah chief's rhetoric on Sunday, asserting: "The United States condemns in the strongest terms Hezbollah’s reckless call to overthrow Lebanon’s democratically elected government." Rubio also noted that Hezbollah has "ignored repeated calls from the legitimate Government of Lebanon to cease its attacks and respect a ceasefire" and is pursuing a "deliberate campaign to destabilize the country and maintain its power at the expense of the future of the Lebanese people." He also said that "the era in which a terrorist group held an entire nation hostage is coming to an end."

Perspectives

Lt.-Col. (res.) Sarit Zehavi, founder and president of the Alma Research and Education Center, commented to The Jerusalem Post that Hezbollah has the military capabilities and support to drag Lebanon into a civil war. She noted that Qassem's directive to followers to "bring down the government" might be a threat or an actual instruction, and suspected the speech was heavily scripted by Iran. Zehavi explained that Hezbollah is a group loyal to Iran, not to Lebanon, and the speech could be aimed at pressuring Washington into a deal with Tehran.

Qassem's speeches have also included expressions of support for Iran, criticism of US sanctions, and statements that the US is not an honest actor but "manages Israel according to its interests." He also urged the Lebanese government to revoke its March 2 decision outlawing Hezbollah and to halt direct talks with Israel, suggesting that indirect negotiations would give more power to the Lebanese negotiator.

Background

Qassem's latest statements come amid ongoing tensions despite a ceasefire that began in April 2026, and as Israel and Lebanon have been engaging in US-brokered negotiations. The May 12 statement was issued ahead of a third round of talks in Washington. The May 24 speech coincided with the anniversary of the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, a date which Hezbollah commemorates as "Resistance and Liberation Day." The Israeli military continues operations in Lebanon, with reports of injuries and clashes, as Hezbollah claims to be pursuing "Israeli aggression" and using drone strikes.

The Lebanese government, with US support, is working to restore the country and reassert control, but Hezbollah's refusal to disarm and its calls for the government's overthrow present a significant challenge to regional stability. The international community, particularly the US, has expressed strong opposition to Hezbollah's actions, but the group, backed by Iran, remains a formidable force in Lebanon's politics and security landscape.