Hezbollah's leader expressed opposition to the negotiations between Lebanese government officials and Israel scheduled for Tuesday in Washington, D.C., calling them pointless.
On 13 Apr 2026 GMT+7, the leader of Hezbollah, an Iran-backed armed group in Lebanon, called on the Lebanese government to reject the planned talks with Israel set for Tuesday, describing the negotiations as "useless" while Israel continues its attacks on Lebanon.
"We reject negotiations with Israel," said Naim Qassem, Hezbollah's leader. "They are a waste of time and must have the unanimous approval of the Lebanese people first."
He added that Israel is "clearly demonstrating" that the purpose of the talks is to disarm Hezbollah. "We therefore call for these negotiations to be rejected," he stated.
Diplomats from Lebanon and Israel are scheduled to participate in talks in Washington on Tuesday (14 Apr) amid concerns that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could undermine the fragile ceasefire agreement in the conflict involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran.
Earlier the same day, Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun expressed hope that the discussions would lead to a ceasefire and emphasized that the talks are "the sole responsibility of the Lebanese government, and no other party," implicitly referring to Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, Qassem affirmed that Hezbollah will not surrender and will continue to respond to Israeli attacks, opposing the negotiation plan by stating, "No one has the right to decide this on behalf of the Lebanese people."
Currently, Israel continues to occupy most of southern Lebanon and carries out ongoing attacks deep inside the country. Lebanese authorities report more than 2,000 deaths and over 6,500 injuries since Israel escalated its attacks on 2 Mar.
Follow international news:https://www.thairath.co.th/news/foreign
Source:cnn