Lebanese MP Mohammad Raad issued a stark warning over the trajectory of ongoing negotiations with the Israeli enemy, cautioning that the current approach could lead the country toward “major catastrophes” while undermining sovereignty.
In a strongly worded article published by Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar on Tuesday, Raad said the authorities in Lebanon are adopting a course of direct negotiations with the Israeli enemy without a constitutional mandate and appear emboldened by the enemy in their stance against their own people.
“The reality confirmed by the rounds of direct negotiations between Lebanon and the enemy is that the ruling coalition has effectively adopted the Israeli occupation’s narrative against the resistance,” wrote MP Raad, who heads Hezbollah’s Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc.
He argued that authorities are reshaping domestic politics around the notion that Lebanese society can accept coexistence with the Israeli occupation.
MP Raad added that, “under this framework adopted by the Lebanese authorities, the fundamental problem is that the resistance refuses to surrender to the enemy.”
In this context, the Lebanese lawmaker accused the government of prioritizing disarming Hezbollah resistance group over securing a ceasefire or Israeli withdrawal.
According to MP Raad, this has led to direct negotiations “in a bid to end the resistance in favor of the occupation,” under US sponsorship.
He warned that such a course reflects a deliberate political choice by the Lebanese authorities rather than miscalculation, saying the Lebanese rulers view it as “the only way to save the country from war and collapse, even at the expense of sovereignty and dignity.”
In contrast, the Hezbollah lawmaker framed the resistance’s position as rooted in “the right of the Lebanese people to the sovereignty of their homeland and their rejection of the occupation,” stressing that past confrontations, not international diplomacy, had succeeded in forcing Israeli withdrawals.
He cautioned that concessions would only embolden the Israeli enemy, stating that “yielding to the enemy and submitting to its conditions only prompts it to expand, bully, and tyrannize,” while sustained resistance imposes deterrence.
MP Raad also said that despite adherence to a ceasefire announced in late 2024, ‘Israel’ escalated attacks once Lebanese authorities moved to enforce a so-called state monopoly on arms, adding that the situation has since (August 5 decision of arms monopoly) entered “a downward spiral… culminating in the recent direct negotiations undertaken without any constitutional or charter mandate.”
“The country now stands at a dangerous crossroads, fraught with the potential for major catastrophes,” he warned, holding the government fully responsible for the consequences of its choices.
MP Raad further accused the authorities of committing “a heinous crime against the nation and its citizens” by relying on the Israeli enemy to pressure the resistance while Israeli attacks continue.
“The Lebanese people have the right to know where this authority is leading them,” he said, warning that the cost of the current path could outweigh all past sacrifices.
Reaffirming his stance, the Hezbollah MP said the resistance “will not prioritize anyone’s interests above those of our people and our country,” concluding that “the path of concessions is destined for disappointment and failure.”
Source: Al-Akhbar newspaper (translated and edited y Al-Manar)