Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah Sheikh Naeem Qassem pointed out that "the party is not concerned with the messages sent by the American envoy Amos Hochstein," indicating that "the party's position is clear: as long as the war is ongoing in Gaza, the southern front will not stop, and the opposite is true." He said, "Hochstein can say what he wants, and we will not accept that the Israeli imposes his conditions on us as he is in a predicament." He added, "We will not provide any answers to the Israelis before a ceasefire."
Qassem noted that "we did not drag Lebanon into war; rather, there is a dangerous Israeli enemy that can launch a war on Lebanon at any moment without excuses or justifications, and if we do not put an end to it early, it may pose a threat to Lebanon, and it is in our interest that the Israeli remains deterred."
On the presidential front, Qassem indicated that "we have reached different convictions with the Free Patriotic Movement and a different vision. We agreed that each party expresses its opinion, and we have encountered disagreements on various issues. The party has decided not to engage in a dispute with the movement, and the understanding is suspended, although communication channels remain open."
Qassem pointed out that the party has not given a final answer to the Lebanese Moderate Bloc, and they are studying the answer to provide. He believes that there are grounds that allow for the nomination of Sleiman Frangieh, the head of the Marada Movement, and that the problem with the French initiative is internal before it is external, as the constitution guarantees the national pact, and Frangieh is open to the world.
He asked, "Why do they want to hold us responsible for the presidency when everyone bears responsibility?" He emphasized that any dialogue with preconditions is unacceptable, and "we want a national president who unites citizens." He added, "The president is not in our pocket, nor with us, nor in their pocket, nor with them," reminding that the national pact should be respected in the constitutional text. He affirmed that they have no name for the presidency other than Sleiman Frangieh.
