Overview

• Naim Qassem called for dialogue with Riyadh to set aside past disputes and form a common front against Israel.
• He said Hezbollah’s weapons are directed solely at Israel, not at Lebanon, Saudi Arabia or any other state.
• Qassem argued that pressure to disarm Hezbollah serves Israeli interests and proposed freezing old disagreements during an exceptional phase.
• Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states designated Hezbollah a terrorist organization in 2016, relations worsened in 2021, and Riyadh’s response to the overture was not immediately known.
• Israel carried out new strikes in southern Lebanon, with the Health Ministry reporting one person killed and three wounded in a drone strike on a car in Tebnin, despite a ceasefire framework that envisions Hezbollah moving north of the Litani and full Israeli withdrawal.