Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem on Monday (April 13, 2026) urged Lebanon to cancel a planned meeting with Israel in Washington the following day, reiterating his group’s rejection of direct negotiations with its foe.

“We reject negotiations with the usurping Israeli entity… We call for a historic and heroic stance by cancelling this negotiating meeting,” Qassem, whose Iran-backed group has been at war with Israel since March 2, said in a televised address.