Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday afternoon accused Hezbollah of “treason,” following a combative statement issued by the terrorist organization’s leader, Naim Qassem. “There are those who criticize us for deciding to enter negotiations, claiming there is no national consensus. I ask: When you went to war, did you have consensus?” he said.
At the same time, the IDF announced that it had begun attacking Hezbollah targets beyond southern Lebanon - in the Bekaa Valley and in additional areas across southern Lebanon. The IDF is attacking infrastructure for storing and producing weapons and for launching rockets.
The attack in the Bekaa area, deep in Lebanon, is the first time the IDF has attacked there in about a month - and it comes after the escalation in recent days in which Hezbollah has repeatedly violated the ceasefire, which President Donald Trump imposed on Israel, and which is now crumbling.
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Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun
(Photo: Petros Karadjias/Pool via Reuters, /Mohammad Yassine/Reuters)
In the afternoon, in the shadow of the IDF's continued attacks and after Hezbollah's drone fire into the Galilee, a military commander in the terrorist organization threatened further escalation - telling Al Jazeera: "We will use tactics from the 1980s and deploy suicide bombers to prevent the enemy from gaining a foothold. Large groups of suicide bombers will be deployed in the occupied territory according to pre-prepared plans." The Hezbollah source said the terrorists' mission is to operate against IDF officers and soldiers in the Lebanese countryside.
“Even before the negotiations began, there were those who accused us of treason, claiming we were entering talks in a state of submission. To them we say: Wait until the negotiations begin, and then judge the result. How long will the people of southern Lebanon continue to pay the price for the wars of others on our land? The latest are the wars in support of Gaza and Iran. If the war had been for Lebanon, we would have supported it,” Aoun said.
He stressed that “when the goal of the war is to serve the interests of others, I reject it completely,” and said: “What we are doing is not treason. The traitors are those who drag their country into war to serve foreign interests. My goal is to bring about an end to the war with Israel, similar to the ceasefire agreement. Was the ceasefire agreement a humiliation? I will not agree to a humiliating agreement.”
Qassem, whose organization continues to attack Israel from Lebanese territory despite a declared ceasefire between the countries, reiterated his red lines on Monday. “We will not give up our weapons or our defense. The leadership must know that its actions will not benefit Lebanon — or them. There are two options: liberation and dignity, or occupation and humiliation — and humiliation is far from us,” he said.
He accused the Lebanese authorities, led by Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, of rushing toward humiliation.
“We completely reject direct negotiations. They must be stopped, indirect negotiations must be adopted and the March 2 decision criminalizing Hezbollah and its supporters must be canceled,” he said, referring to the ban on Hezbollah military activity in Lebanon. “The leadership must know that its actions will not benefit Lebanon or them.”
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Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad Reza Shibani (left) next to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi
In his statement, Qassem listed five points Lebanon must first achieve: a complete halt to aggression on land, in the air and at sea; Israel’s withdrawal from occupied areas in Lebanon; the release of Lebanese prisoners; the return of displaced people to their villages and towns; and reconstruction.
The exchange of accusations comes as Hezbollah continues firing at IDF forces in southern Lebanon and at communities in northern Israel — and while the Iranian ambassador, who was asked to leave the country, remains there. The decision to expel him had already sparked anger from Hezbollah last month, with the group accusing Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi, who has taken a firm line against the terrorist organization, of surrendering to external pressure.
“This is a reckless and disgraceful step. It does not serve Lebanon’s supreme national interests, its sovereignty or its national unity,” Hezbollah said in a sharp statement. “It is a clear surrender to external pressure and dictates. The foreign minister chose to align himself with a position that, through his words and actions, serves only the enemy.”
First published: 14:46, 04.27.26