Lebanese PM accuses Hezbollah chief of 'serving Israel' ahead of talks

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam directly accused Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem of prioritizing Israel's interests over Lebanon's sovereignty, escalating rhetoric just hours before the seventh round of U.S.-backed talks between Beirut and Jerusalem. This sharp rebuke came in response to Qassem's earlier accusations that Lebanese state officials were making "free concessions" to Israel and should instead engage in dialogue with the "resistance."

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serving Israel

Salam countered Qassem's narrative on X/Twitter, stating, "The truth, however, is that the greatest service rendered to Israel has been provided by those who unilaterally dragged Lebanon into the absurd wartime adventures of the ‘support front,’ giving Israel pretexts to attack our country, violate its sovereignty, destroy its cities and villages, kill its residents and displace hundreds of thousands.” He emphasized that dialogue and unity require acknowledging difficult facts and taking responsibility for "reckless choices" that have inflicted heavy costs on the Lebanese people.

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The truth, however, is that the greatest service rendered to Israel has been provided by those who unilaterally dragged Lebanon into the absurd wartime adventures of the ‘support front,’ giving Israel pretexts to attack our country, violate its sovereignty, destroy its cities and villages, kill its residents and displace hundreds of thousands.

The exchange highlights deep divisions within Lebanon regarding the country's engagement in the conflict with Israel. Salam criticized those who have "monopolized the decision to go to war" and continue to seek control over state decisions, tying Lebanon's fate to external calculations. He argued that such actors, who disregard the interests of their own community and the nation as a whole, are in no position to issue judgments on patriotism or sovereignty.

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dialogue and unity can only be built through the courage to acknowledge the facts, however bitter they may be, and to take responsibility for the reckless choices whose heavy price the Lebanese continue to pay.

Adding context, Harel Chorev, a senior researcher at the Moshe Dayan Center, commented to The Jerusalem Post that Hezbollah's actions have indeed resulted in "historic milestones" for the IDF and have been "terrible for Hezbollah." He cited the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah and much of the group's senior leadership as direct consequences of what he described as Nasrallah's "hubris" in dragging Hezbollah into the war to fulfill its obligations to Iran's axis. Chorev suggested that Hezbollah's decision to escalate was a "total miscalculation," as Israel achieved swift gains, and the high-level assassinations have demoralized the group's supporters.

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Those who monopolized the decision to go to war and still seek to seize the state’s decision, tying Lebanon to external calculations and axes while disregarding the interests of their own community, as well as those of Lebanese as a whole, are in no position to hand out certificates of patriotism, let alone sovereignty.