The following statement was issued by Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem:
"The battlefield has proven that it has the final say, and successful politics is that which draws on its outcomes as a source of strength to compel the Israeli enemy to submit, in order to secure the rights of Lebanon and its citizens to their land and sovereignty, within a framework of cooperative national integration that closes the doors to strife and to foreign exploitation of our country.
The temporary ceasefire would not have been achieved were it not for the jihad of the resistance fighters on the honorable southern frontlines, in a legendary performance that astonished the world, and in martyr-like steadfastness before the American-Israeli enemy despite a vast imbalance in military power. The resistance fighters proved that their three-dimensional weapon — faith, will, and capability — is stronger than all the armies of the aggressors, and that in Lebanon there are those who sacrifice what is most precious for liberation, dignity, and independence. Their advance toward that noble goal is not hindered by the presence of the faint-hearted, those who sap resolve, and those who stab from behind, because they have first dedicated their skulls to Almighty God, and they are surrounded by a proud and self-sacrificing people who have endured killing, destruction, displacement, and the costs of dignity and honor. They come from all sects, denominations, and regions, and their destination is southern Lebanon, because all of Lebanon is its south; when the south smiles and is liberated, all of Lebanon smiles and is liberated.
Thanks be first to Almighty God, for He is the giver of victory and the helper. Thanks also to the heroes of the resistance, who broke the advance of the Israeli enemy despite its massing of 100,000 soldiers on the border, and who prevented it from reaching the Litani, neither in the first week as it had planned, nor in 45 days in the battle of al-Asf al-Ma'koul. Thanks are also due to the giving of the families, the people, and the supporters, and to their sacrifices. Third, thanks go to the Islamic Republic of Iran, leadership and people, which supported and stood by us, and explicitly linked the ceasefire in the Pakistan agreement to a ceasefire in Lebanon in the official announcement, then closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to the American breach of the ceasefire in Lebanon, after which came American compliance and the forcing of the Israeli enemy to halt, which led to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. We followed this course moment by moment. Nor should we fail to thank Pakistan’s sponsorship and all those who helped, even if only through statements supporting a ceasefire in Lebanon.
We read a post issued by the US State Department titled: 'The Ceasefire Agreement Between Lebanon and Israel — April 2026,' released after the ceasefire had taken effect. It means nothing in practical terms, but it is an insult to our country and homeland, Lebanon, that America dictated its text and spoke in the name of the Lebanese government, as the statement began: 'The Government of Israel and the Government of Lebanon have agreed to the following statement.' Everyone knows that the Lebanese government did not meet and did not approve this statement. Enough of burdening Lebanon with these humiliations in direct negotiations with the Israeli enemy to listen to its dictates, and in the shameful scene in Washington where tyranny circles around the prey, issuing positions on behalf of Lebanon. This is a slippery slope with no end.
Enough. The people of Lebanon are proud, and will remain so through solidarity and mutual support with the army, the people, the resistance, and the political authority that seeks Lebanon’s independence and liberation.
A ceasefire means a complete halt to all hostile acts, and because we do not trust this enemy, the resistance fighters will remain in the field with their fingers on the trigger, and they will respond to violations of the aggression accordingly. There is no ceasefire from the resistance side alone; it must be from both sides, and we will not accept a repeat of the fifteen-month course of patience in the face of Israeli aggression while waiting for diplomacy that achieved nothing.
The next step is the implementation of the following five points:
1- A permanent halt to the aggression throughout Lebanon by air, land, and sea.
2- The withdrawal of the Israeli enemy from the occupied territories up to the border.
3- The release of prisoners.
4- The return of residents to their villages and towns up to the border.
5- Reconstruction with Arab and international support and under national responsibility.
Hezbollah is open to the fullest cooperation with the authorities in Lebanon on a new page built on achieving the sovereignty of our homeland, Lebanon, within a framework of unity, preventing strife, and investing the elements of strength within a national security strategy. Together we will build our homeland, Lebanon, prevent foreigners from imposing tutelage and from achieving the Israeli enemy’s goals through politics, and translate sovereignty and the protection of citizens into clear measures and plans.
Israel and the tyrants of the earth have not defeated us, and they will not defeat us, especially after the sacrifices of the martyrs, foremost among them the master of the nation’s martyrs, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah (may God be pleased with him), Sayyed al-Hashemi, all the martyrs, and the sacrifices of the wounded, the prisoners, and the great people. Lebanon’s head will remain held high by its self-sacrificing sons."
