📰 6 sources 8 articles · 28 Oct 2026, 18:14 → 16 days ago

Qassem Sets Hezbollah's Position: No Weapons Discussion Before Israeli Withdrawal

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem announced the party's position in remarks on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, centered on rejecting any discussion of Hezbollah's weapons before Israel withdraws from Lebanese territory and demanding withdrawal under the Nov. 27, 2024 agreement and Resolution 1701. He described the framework agreement as unconstitutional and 'practically nonexistent,' and called the Iran-U.S. agreement a source of strength for the party and Lebanon.

📍 Where things stand: The declared Hezbollah position remains that any discussion of its weapons is tied to Israeli withdrawal, that it rejects the framework agreement, and that it considers the Iran-U.S. agreement a source of strength.

⏱️ Timeline

28 Oct 2026, 18:14 Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said the party does not care who governs Israel, but stressed that Israel must know it will not be able to continue its occupation and must leave Lebanese land.
28 Oct 2026, 18:25 Qassem affirmed that the party will continue resistance against Israeli attacks and rejected any discussion of withdrawing its weapons while the occupation exists. He demanded Israel's withdrawal from Lebanese territory under the Nov. 27, 2024 agreement and Resolution 1701 and the deployment of the Lebanese army south of the Litani, described the framework agreement as unconstitutional and 'practically nonexistent,' and said the Iran-U.S. agreement is a source of strength for the party and Lebanon.
28 Oct 2026, 21:49 Qassem announced the party's position in eight points, affirming rejection of any discussion of withdrawing weapons before Israel withdraws from Lebanese territory and halts its attacks, and demanding withdrawal under the Nov. 27, 2024 agreement and Resolution 1701 and the army's deployment south of the Litani River. He rejected the 'framework agreement' as violating the constitution and the Taif Agreement, and stressed the importance of the Iran-U.S. agreement in reducing escalation.

Timeline written by AI from the sources below; updated as new reports arrive.

How the sources covered it

Coverage ranged from focusing on the slogan 'we do not care who governs Israel' and the demand for withdrawal, to focusing on the weapons file and the rejection of discussing it, as well as the legal description of the framework agreement and the position on the Iran-U.S. agreement.

annahar.com Focused on Qassem's rejection of any discussion of withdrawing weapons while the occupation exists, his demand for withdrawal under the Nov. 27, 2024 agreement and Resolution 1701, and his description of the framework agreement as unconstitutional and 'practically nonexistent.'
Lebanon24 Led with a question about what Qassem said on the weapons file and the U.S.-Iranian agreement, quoting 'we do not care who governs Israel' without detailing the withdrawal demands or the description of the framework agreement.
الكتائب Headlined the rejection of discussion on withdrawing weapons and highlighted the description of the framework agreement as violating the constitution, the Taif Agreement, laws and the government statement, as well as calling the Iran-U.S. agreement a source of strength.
Lebanon Debate Focused on Qassem announcing the party's position in eight points and linking any discussion of weapons to Israeli withdrawal and a halt to attacks, while rejecting the framework agreement as unconstitutional and against Taif.
الجزيرة نت Led with 'we do not care who governs Israel,' the continuation of resistance and rejection of discussing weapons withdrawal, and highlighted describing the Iranian-American memorandum as a source of strength that proved effective in reducing aggression on Lebanon.
Al Akhbar Limited itself to reporting Qassem's affirmation that the party's weapons file is not up for discussion and that Hezbollah is concerned only with the Iran-U.S. agreement.