Hezbollah chief says ‘reciprocal security’ is negotiation ceiling

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said on Wednesday that “reciprocal security” is the upper limit of any negotiations with Israel, insisting that the group would not accept terms beyond mutual safety guarantees. “The ceiling of negotiations with the Israeli enemy is reciprocal security, and there is no other ceiling,” Qassem said in a televised address from Beirut. He outlined immediate priorities including halting Israeli assaults, securing Israel’s withdrawal from all Lebanese territory, securing prisoner exchanges, and enabling the return of displaced civilians to their homes alongside reconstruction efforts.

Allegations of annexation

Qassem accused Israel of pursuing a project to eliminate Hezbollah socially, militarily, and culturally, which he said would effectively destroy a large segment of the Lebanese population. “Israel’s project in Lebanon was to eliminate Hezbollah socially, militarily, and culturally, which means eliminating a large segment of the Lebanese people through killing, displacement, and relocation in order to facilitate the annexation of Lebanon,” he said. He added that Israeli forces had failed to establish control, stating, “We thwarted the Greater Israel project, and it has been unable to control and establish itself on our land.”

Military operations

The Hezbollah chief reported that his group had conducted 3,185 military operations against Israel since March 2, maintaining a daily average of approximately 30 attacks. He rejected any possibility of disarmament, declaring, “Any project to disarm Hezbollah will not succeed, and this scheme has failed.” Qassem noted that Israeli forces have pushed more than 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory during the current campaign, occupying areas that include longstanding positions and newly seized lands from the previous conflict.

US-Iran talks backdrop

The speech comes amid continued tensions along the Lebanese-Israeli border despite an emerging understanding between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending their military conflict that erupted after US and Israeli attacks against Iran on Feb. 28. Iranian officials have indicated that ending Israeli assaults in Lebanon is a primary objective of a memorandum of understanding expected to be signed Friday, though Israeli officials have signaled that military operations in Lebanon will continue regardless. Israel’s offensive since March 2 has left thousands killed and wounded and displaced more than 1 million people, according to official figures.