An open letter from Hezbollah

[Disarming Hezbollah was not in the ceasefire declaration. War & Genocide has detailed information of brazen ceasefire violations. Israeli media-Channel 12, citing officials:

– The Israeli army is preparing for the possibility of a new round of fighting against Hezbollah soon.

– Hezbollah will not be allowed to strengthen itself and return to its pre-war state.

– Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah are expected to peak in about a month].

To His Excellency the President of the Lebanese Republic, General Joseph Aoun,
To His Excellency the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Mr. Nabih Berri,
To His Excellency the Prime Minister of Lebanon, Mr. Nawaf Salam,
To the honorable people of Lebanon, Greetings

– Out of Hezbollah’s commitment to national understanding, protecting sovereignty, and preserving security and stability in Lebanon, and as a contribution to strengthening and supporting the unified Lebanese position against the Zionist aggression and its violations and continuous breaches of the ceasefire declaration that resulted from the efforts of the American envoy, Hochstein, following indirect negotiations between the State of Lebanon and the Zionist entity, and to thwart attempts to drag the Lebanese state into new rounds of negotiations for purposes that serve only the goals and interests of the Zionist enemy and the forces of domination that are hostile to truth and justice, we express to you, Your Excellencies, and through you to all our dear people in Lebanon, our vision regarding the situation and the required national stance that we adhere to and consider the viable path. To safeguard Lebanon’s interests during this critical period for our region and the world.

– The ceasefire declaration of November 27, 2024, agreed upon to halt the Zionist aggression against Lebanon, constituted, according to the parties to the agreement individually and collectively, an implementation mechanism for UN Security Council Resolution 1701 of 2006. This resolution defined the area of ​​operations as exclusively south of the Litani River in Lebanon, and its content and text stipulated the demilitarization of this area and the withdrawal of the Israeli enemy behind the established Blue Line. The declaration, noting in its preamble that its provisions are steps to implement Resolution 1701, stipulated in its first clause the following:

– Israel and Lebanon will implement a cessation of hostilities effective at 4:00 AM on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, in accordance with the commitments detailed below.

The declaration’s second clause stipulated the following:
– Effective 4:00 AM on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, the Government of Lebanon will prevent Hezbollah and all other armed groups in Lebanese territory from carrying out any operations against Israel, and Israel will not conduct any offensive military operations against Lebanese territory, including civilian, military, or other state targets, by land, air, or sea. The clauses continued until clause number 13.

– While the facts confirmed Lebanon and Hezbollah’s strict and implicit commitment to the ceasefire declaration from the moment it was issued until today, the Zionist enemy continued its violations of the declaration by land, sea, and air, and continues to do so to this day, disregarding all calls to cease these hostile practices. Moreover, in response to these calls, the enemy resorted to blackmailing Lebanon and imposing conditions and demands to evade halting its hostilities, insisting on completing its project aimed at subjugating Lebanon, humiliating its state, people, and army, and drawing it into a political agreement that would extract Lebanese recognition of the enemy’s interests in our country and the region, as well as recognition of the legitimacy of its occupation of others’ land by force in Palestine. Although the government’s hasty decision regarding the monopoly of arms was presented by some to the enemy and its backers as a gesture of Lebanese goodwill, the enemy exploited this governmental blunder to impose the disarmament of the resistance throughout Lebanon as a condition for a cessation of hostilities. This condition was not stipulated in the ceasefire declaration and cannot be accepted or imposed.

The issue of the monopoly of arms is not being discussed in response to foreign demands or Israeli blackmail, but rather within a national framework that agrees upon a comprehensive strategy for security, defense, and the protection of national sovereignty. Let it be known to all Lebanese that the Israeli enemy is not targeting Hezbollah alone, but rather Lebanon in its entirety. It aims to strip Lebanon of any ability to reject the Zionist entity’s extortionate demands and to force submission to its policies and interests in Lebanon and the region. This necessitates a unified and dignified national stance that commands respect for our country and our people and protects Lebanon’s sovereignty and dignity. As for becoming entangled in and slipping into the traps of proposed negotiations, this would only yield further gains for the Israeli enemy, which always takes without fulfilling its obligations and gives nothing in return. With this brutal enemy, backed by the American tyrant, no maneuvering or compromise is viable. Lebanon is currently focused on halting the aggression in accordance with the ceasefire declaration and pressuring the Zionist enemy to abide by it. It is absolutely not interested in succumbing to aggressive blackmail or being drawn into political negotiations with the Zionist enemy. Such negotiations serve no national interest and pose existential risks that threaten the Lebanese entity and its sovereignty.