“We will not go back to what was before March 2.” Qassem attacks the Lebanese authority: You missed the opportunity for a ceasefire.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem confirmed that the party’s priority today is to “confront the Israeli aggression,” calling on the Lebanese authority “not to accumulate mistakes and bet on a mirage,” in a position that reflects a political and field escalation coinciding with the continuation of the confrontation on the southern front.

In a speech delivered on his behalf during the Arbaeen ceremony by leader Yousef Hashem and his companions, followed by MP Hassan Fadlallah, Qassem considered that “the authority team missed the opportunity for a comprehensive ceasefire in Lebanon,” adding that “the current path is causing more blood.”

He stressed that “our priority today is confronting the Israeli aggression and not side issues,” stressing that “the currently available solution is steadfastness and steadfastness in the field with the help of the mujahideen and the patience of the people who will not be broken.”

In a remarkable position, Qassem said: “We repeat and say that we will not return to the stage before March 2, 2026,” referring to the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel that was concluded in November 2024, and the field and political developments that followed.

Qassem’s statements come days before the start of the third round of tripartite negotiations between Lebanon and Israel under American sponsorship in Washington on May 14 and 15, as part of a diplomatic process that began in mid-April, in a step described as unprecedented after long years of war and the absence of any official relations between the two sides.

According to circulated information, Thursday’s session will address the file of establishing the ceasefire, while Friday’s session will be devoted to discussing the files of Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories, prisoners, and the return of the displaced.

The Lebanese delegation to the negotiations is headed by former Ambassador Simon Karam, along with the Lebanese Ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamada Moawad, while the Israeli delegation is expected to include former Minister Ron Dermer and a number of military and diplomatic officials.

Qassem’s positions reflect the extent of internal Lebanese disagreement regarding the current negotiation path, at a time when field confrontations and Israeli raids continue on the southern and Bekaa regions, amid mounting fears of the collapse of any possible understandings if the military and political escalation continues as it is.