Hezbollah calls on Saudi Arabia to ‘open a new chapter’ with party

BEIRUT/ISTANBUL

The Lebanese group Hezbollah on Friday urged Saudi Arabia to “open a new chapter” with the party, advocating dialogue that addresses past disputes and secures future interests.

Speaking in a televised address marking the first anniversary of Israel’s killing of Hezbollah military commander Ibrahim Aqil and other Radwan unit leaders on Sept. 20, 2024, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem outlined three principles for dialogue: resolving disputes and concerns, recognizing Israel as the enemy rather than the resistance, and freezing past disagreements for now to focus on confronting Israel.

He warned that the entire region is at a "dangerous turning point" and that Israel's airstrike on Hamas leadership in Doha, which Qatar condemned, has altered the regional context. Qassem said Israel's objectives extend to Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Iran.

Qassem emphasized that Hezbollah’s weapons are directed “only at the Israeli enemy, not Saudi Arabia or any other party in the world,” adding that pressuring the resistance “is a net gain for Israel” and the absence of resistance endangers other states.

He called on all Lebanese actors, including rivals with whom Hezbollah has nearly reached the point of enmity, to avoid serving Israeli interests and stressed unity in government and parliament to confront Israel, hold elections on schedule, prioritize reconstruction, accelerate financial and economic reforms, combat corruption, and agree on a national security strategy.

He said Hezbollah offers dialogue “from a position of strength” and reiterated that the party’s arms will not be surrendered.

Qassem said Lebanon’s government is responsible for countering Israeli attacks, with priorities including stopping aggression, confronting Israel, expelling occupying forces, and beginning reconstruction.

He confirmed Hezbollah’s readiness to act alongside the Lebanese army and praised President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam for their stance on recent Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon.

The remarks follow a June proposal from US envoy Tom Barrack calling for disarming all non-state actors in Lebanon, including Hezbollah, in exchange for Israel’s withdrawal from five occupied border points and releasing funds for reconstruction.

Lebanon’s Cabinet approved in August a plan to confine all weapons, including Hezbollah’s, to state control, tasking the army with implementation by the end of 2025. The government endorsed the army plan on Sept. 5 and kept its contents confidential.

Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected disarmament, maintaining that the group will retain its arms until Israel withdraws, halts attacks, releases prisoners, and reconstruction begins.

A ceasefire was reached in November 2024 following an exchange of cross-border attacks between the Hezbollah group and Israel since October 2023. The exchange escalated into a full-scale Israeli war by September 2024, killing more than 4,000 people and injuring around 17,000.

Under the truce, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by January, but it only partially pulled out troops and maintains a military presence at five border outposts.