Hezbollah's Naim Qassem calls Israeli election results a sign of defeat

Naim Qassem, secretary-general of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, said the outcome of Israel's elections was evidence of Israeli defeat, according to a news alert from Ynet. In remarks reported by Israeli outlets, he also rejected any discussion of Hezbollah giving up its weapons for as long as Israeli forces remain on Lebanese soil.

N12 reported that the comments came in a written statement read out on Al-Manar, the television channel run by Hezbollah. In it, Qassem described what he called the enemy's situation as one of failure to reach its goals, internal confusion, and political, economic and social crises. He said the election results were "one of the expressions of the defeat" and that Hezbollah did not care who governs Israel, which he referred to as a usurping entity, but that whoever does must understand it cannot keep up the occupation and has to leave Lebanese land.

Who Naim Qassem is

Hezbollah is a Shiite political party and armed movement in Lebanon, backed by Iran, that has fought repeated rounds of conflict with Israel. Qassem holds the post of secretary-general, the group's top position. His public statements, often delivered in televised speeches or read on Al-Manar, are the main way Hezbollah sets out its positions on Israel, Lebanese politics and the wider region.

Weapons, the ceasefire and Resolution 1701

A summary of the remarks published by the Abu Ali Express channel, which covers Arab affairs, said Qassem framed his comments as addressing regional developments and set out several positions. On what Hezbollah calls the weapons of the resistance, he said the group would keep resisting and would confront any aggression against itself or against Lebanon. He said Hezbollah would not agree to discuss disarmament while what he described as occupation and aggression continue.

He called on Israel to withdraw in line with the agreement of 27 November 2024 and with Resolution 1701. The November 2024 agreement is the ceasefire arrangement that halted the most recent major round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Resolution 1701 is a United Nations Security Council resolution that set the framework for southern Lebanon after an earlier war, including the withdrawal of Israeli forces and limits on armed groups south of the Litani River. Both sides have accused each other of failing to honour these arrangements, and the question of Hezbollah's weapons has been central to Lebanese and international diplomacy.

Rejection of a Lebanon-Israel framework agreement

According to the same summary, Qassem said Hezbollah does not recognise the validity of what was described as a framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel. He argued that it contradicts the Lebanese constitution and the Taif Agreement, the accord that underpins Lebanon's post-civil-war political system. He said the framework hands Israel things it is not entitled to, surrenders sources of Lebanese strength and encourages internal conflict among Lebanese.

The summary also indicates he spoke about an agreement between Iran and the United States, saying Hezbollah attaches great importance to it, but the text available to us is cut off at that point and gives no further detail.

How this fits Hezbollah's messaging

Hezbollah leaders have long portrayed Israeli domestic turmoil as a sign of weakness, and Qassem's statement follows that pattern. Linking his comments on the Israeli vote to demands for withdrawal and a refusal to disarm keeps the group's focus on the territorial question rather than on which Israeli parties form the next government, a point he made explicitly by saying the identity of Israel's leadership did not interest him.

What the reports do not say

• None of the reports describe the Israeli election results themselves: which parties won, or who is expected to form a government.
• The reports differ on format. N12 describes a written statement read on Al-Manar, while the Abu Ali Express summary refers to his remarks this evening without specifying whether he spoke in person.
• The content and status of the Lebanon-Israel framework agreement Qassem rejected are not explained in the material, nor is the Lebanese government's position on it.
• His comments on the Iran-United States agreement are only partly available, and what that agreement involves is not stated.
• No Israeli or Lebanese government response is included in the reports.