Hezbollah Rejects US-Mediated Direct Negotiations With Israel
On Saturday, senior Hezbollah official Mahmoud Qamati rejected US-mediated direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, labeling them an illegal recognition of the Israeli state.
In an exclusive statement to Kurdistan24, Qamati warned of a foreign plot to incite a Lebanese civil war and asserted that Hezbollah’s weapons remain a domestic issue not subject to foreign interference.
The rejection followed US President Donald Trump’s Friday announcement extending a fragile bilateral ceasefire by three weeks.
Trump stated the Washington meetings, attended by key US, Israeli, and Lebanese officials, aimed to help Lebanon protect its sovereignty against Hezbollah.
The diplomatic friction occurs amid severe regional warfare; Hezbollah officially entered the conflict on March 2, 2026, following the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, resulting in over 850 combined missile and drone attacks against Israel throughout March alone.