The claim of the Israeli finance minister that “Lebanon will give us the legitimacy to destroy Hezbollah” has sparked a wave of reactions. Referring to these statements, Al-Akhbar newspaper referred to it as part of the “betrayal of the Lebanese government to the people and the resistance” and revealed details of the recent meeting in Washington.
Publish dateWednesday 15 April 2026 - 14:09
Story Code : 351193
Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): In its latest note on the alleged negotiations in Washington about the war in Lebanon, the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar wrote: “The government favored by the American-Israeli occupier took its lowest political step and committed a clear betrayal of the people and victims of Israeli aggression and took steps to take a shameful photo with representatives of the two criminal governments.”
Agreeing to the enemy’s statement against the resistance without receiving any concessions
The note continued, stating that the Lebanese government did not stop there and agreed to a statement in which it supported the enemy’s position against the resistance and considered the disarmament of the resistance a condition for any ceasefire.”
The note continued, stating: While the Lebanese are waiting for Joseph Aoun and Nawaf Salam (Lebanese President and Prime Minister) to explain the achievements of the Washington meeting, the statements of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio showed that what is now at stake is an agreement beyond the October 27, 2024 agreement on the cessation of hostilities. After the meeting on Tuesday, the Israeli government announced that it had no intention of a ceasefire or withdrawal from Lebanon and called on the Lebanese government to begin the battle to disarm Hezbollah.
Israeli Finance Minister: The Lebanese government gives us the legitimacy to destroy Hezbollah
But the most telling position on the truth of what happened in Washington was expressed by the enemy's Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who said: "No one will dissolve Hezbollah for us, but Lebanon will give us the legitimacy to do so."
Al-Akhbar wrote: "After yesterday's betrayal, it is incumbent on everyone to demand from Aoun and Salam the rights they have earned in exchange for this new concession. If they decide to continue on their path and return to the slogan of "disarmament first," they will be directly responsible for any deterioration of the situation at all levels. This is while all the efforts of their supporters today are focused on finding ways to force the security and military forces to implement the decisions related to disarmament by resorting to force."
Hezbollah's position before the shameful meeting in Washington
Hezbollah had also announced a clear position before the "shameful meeting," through Sheikh Naim Qassem. He stressed that the resistance will continue as long as the occupation and aggression exist, and reiterated the necessary conditions for stopping the war: a ceasefire, a complete and immediate withdrawal, the release of prisoners, the safe and complete return of the residents of the south – especially the border cities – and the beginning of the reconstruction process.
Qassem said the resistance “will not allow anyone to prevent it from exercising its right,” and stressed that the party would no longer cooperate with a government that considers it outside the law.
The enemy’s achievement: no obligation to stop the crimes; the US achievement: a pressure sheet against Iran
The author went on to write that the US State Department in Washington was the stage for a show staged by Israeli supporters in Lebanon and the US; a show that took the form of a meeting and dialogue between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors, in the presence of Rubio and the US ambassador to Lebanon, Michal Issa. The US State Department then issued a statement that was entirely in the service of the occupation and aggression; A statement that made no mention of the enemy’s commitment to a ceasefire or withdrawal, contrary to what the occupying power had been promoting in the past days.
As a result, “the enemy got what it wanted without being forced to take any steps towards stopping its crimes in Lebanon, and Washington also gained leverage in Islamabad to prevent Iran from imposing a ceasefire on Lebanon.”
The enemy’s new plan for Lebanon revealed
Before yesterday’s meeting, the enemy revealed its plan for the next stage through statements by Ron Dermer, a former minister and Netanyahu’s aide. In this plan, Lebanon’s geography would be divided into three security zones: first, an 8-kilometer-deep strip that would be under full Israeli control; then an area for the Lebanese army to deploy up to the Litani River; and finally, a wider area for the deployment of official Lebanese forces with the mission of completely disarming Hezbollah.
Haaretz reported, citing highly placed sources, that Israel would insist on continuing the war with the aim of disarming Hezbollah during the talks. Israeli television also announced that “Israel reiterates its determination to negotiate with Lebanon under fire” and that its forces “are preparing for the possibility of a long stay in the new security zone.”
Attempt to justify the “scandal in Washington”
While the president tried to “decorate” the scandal in Washington by claiming that “this meeting is an opportunity to formulate a ceasefire agreement and a prelude to the start of direct negotiations,” the joint statement issued from the meeting showed that it was not an attempt to get Israel to agree to a ceasefire, but rather to consolidate Lebanese-American-Israeli cooperation against the resistance.
“The path has begun, which means the final end of 30 years of Hezbollah influence,” Rubio said. The Israeli ambassador also claimed that “the Lebanese government has made it clear that it will no longer remain under Hezbollah’s domination” and that “Lebanon will no longer be under Iranian occupation”!
High-ranking sources described the meeting as “the culmination of secret Israeli-Lebanese talks that had been going on for some time,” adding that “this meeting was not a preliminary meeting.”
These sources emphasized that “what we are facing today is no longer simply the consequences of a military tension or a temporary regional balance, but rather a direct reflection of the structural inability to understand the current strategic moment. The problem is no longer in the level of external pressure, but in the lack of internal capacity to understand the rules of the game and reorganize the situation accordingly.”
These sources added that “internal reliance on the possibility of separating Lebanon’s path from the American-Iranian interaction reflects a profound error in understanding the nature of the regional system. There is no independent path for Lebanon outside this equation; what exists is Lebanon’s place within this equation. Any attempt to consolidate this separation will not lead to sovereignty, but will expose Lebanon to greater permeability.”
Why did Salam postpone his trip to the United States?
While Culture Minister Ghassan Salameh had emphasized two days ago that the postponement of President Nawaf Salam’s trip to the United States was not due to foreign pressure and that his meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was scheduled to take place on Thursday morning, and that the trip had only been postponed for two weeks so that more meetings could be arranged with various officials in the meantime, Al-Akhbar newspaper reported that Salam had held an important meeting with several ministers and deputies two days ago.
At this meeting, he heard various opinions, and some of these opinions encouraged him to postpone the trip, especially due to concerns about internal developments based on security reports that indicated that supporters of the Amal and Hezbollah movements were on the verge of starting a wave of internal protests and that there was a possibility of a siege of the prime minister’s palace.
One of the people who met with Salam said that the prime minister had received a warning that the government might be overthrown while he was out of Beirut; and this is not the first time that such a thing has happened. He recalled that when Saad Hariri was in the White House, the dual coalition and the Free National Movement resigned from the government and overthrew it.
In contrast, some have also quoted Salam as saying: "I do not want to go to America at the same time that negotiations are starting, so that the responsibility for the consequences of direct negotiations is not imposed on me and I do not put myself in the corner of the ring."
Agreeing to the enemy’s statement against the resistance without receiving any concessions
The note continued, stating that the Lebanese government did not stop there and agreed to a statement in which it supported the enemy’s position against the resistance and considered the disarmament of the resistance a condition for any ceasefire.”
The note continued, stating: While the Lebanese are waiting for Joseph Aoun and Nawaf Salam (Lebanese President and Prime Minister) to explain the achievements of the Washington meeting, the statements of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio showed that what is now at stake is an agreement beyond the October 27, 2024 agreement on the cessation of hostilities. After the meeting on Tuesday, the Israeli government announced that it had no intention of a ceasefire or withdrawal from Lebanon and called on the Lebanese government to begin the battle to disarm Hezbollah.
Israeli Finance Minister: The Lebanese government gives us the legitimacy to destroy Hezbollah
But the most telling position on the truth of what happened in Washington was expressed by the enemy's Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who said: "No one will dissolve Hezbollah for us, but Lebanon will give us the legitimacy to do so."
Al-Akhbar wrote: "After yesterday's betrayal, it is incumbent on everyone to demand from Aoun and Salam the rights they have earned in exchange for this new concession. If they decide to continue on their path and return to the slogan of "disarmament first," they will be directly responsible for any deterioration of the situation at all levels. This is while all the efforts of their supporters today are focused on finding ways to force the security and military forces to implement the decisions related to disarmament by resorting to force."
Hezbollah's position before the shameful meeting in Washington
Hezbollah had also announced a clear position before the "shameful meeting," through Sheikh Naim Qassem. He stressed that the resistance will continue as long as the occupation and aggression exist, and reiterated the necessary conditions for stopping the war: a ceasefire, a complete and immediate withdrawal, the release of prisoners, the safe and complete return of the residents of the south – especially the border cities – and the beginning of the reconstruction process.
Qassem said the resistance “will not allow anyone to prevent it from exercising its right,” and stressed that the party would no longer cooperate with a government that considers it outside the law.
The enemy’s achievement: no obligation to stop the crimes; the US achievement: a pressure sheet against Iran
The author went on to write that the US State Department in Washington was the stage for a show staged by Israeli supporters in Lebanon and the US; a show that took the form of a meeting and dialogue between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors, in the presence of Rubio and the US ambassador to Lebanon, Michal Issa. The US State Department then issued a statement that was entirely in the service of the occupation and aggression; A statement that made no mention of the enemy’s commitment to a ceasefire or withdrawal, contrary to what the occupying power had been promoting in the past days.
As a result, “the enemy got what it wanted without being forced to take any steps towards stopping its crimes in Lebanon, and Washington also gained leverage in Islamabad to prevent Iran from imposing a ceasefire on Lebanon.”
The enemy’s new plan for Lebanon revealed
Before yesterday’s meeting, the enemy revealed its plan for the next stage through statements by Ron Dermer, a former minister and Netanyahu’s aide. In this plan, Lebanon’s geography would be divided into three security zones: first, an 8-kilometer-deep strip that would be under full Israeli control; then an area for the Lebanese army to deploy up to the Litani River; and finally, a wider area for the deployment of official Lebanese forces with the mission of completely disarming Hezbollah.
Haaretz reported, citing highly placed sources, that Israel would insist on continuing the war with the aim of disarming Hezbollah during the talks. Israeli television also announced that “Israel reiterates its determination to negotiate with Lebanon under fire” and that its forces “are preparing for the possibility of a long stay in the new security zone.”
Attempt to justify the “scandal in Washington”
While the president tried to “decorate” the scandal in Washington by claiming that “this meeting is an opportunity to formulate a ceasefire agreement and a prelude to the start of direct negotiations,” the joint statement issued from the meeting showed that it was not an attempt to get Israel to agree to a ceasefire, but rather to consolidate Lebanese-American-Israeli cooperation against the resistance.
“The path has begun, which means the final end of 30 years of Hezbollah influence,” Rubio said. The Israeli ambassador also claimed that “the Lebanese government has made it clear that it will no longer remain under Hezbollah’s domination” and that “Lebanon will no longer be under Iranian occupation”!
High-ranking sources described the meeting as “the culmination of secret Israeli-Lebanese talks that had been going on for some time,” adding that “this meeting was not a preliminary meeting.”
These sources emphasized that “what we are facing today is no longer simply the consequences of a military tension or a temporary regional balance, but rather a direct reflection of the structural inability to understand the current strategic moment. The problem is no longer in the level of external pressure, but in the lack of internal capacity to understand the rules of the game and reorganize the situation accordingly.”
These sources added that “internal reliance on the possibility of separating Lebanon’s path from the American-Iranian interaction reflects a profound error in understanding the nature of the regional system. There is no independent path for Lebanon outside this equation; what exists is Lebanon’s place within this equation. Any attempt to consolidate this separation will not lead to sovereignty, but will expose Lebanon to greater permeability.”
Why did Salam postpone his trip to the United States?
While Culture Minister Ghassan Salameh had emphasized two days ago that the postponement of President Nawaf Salam’s trip to the United States was not due to foreign pressure and that his meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was scheduled to take place on Thursday morning, and that the trip had only been postponed for two weeks so that more meetings could be arranged with various officials in the meantime, Al-Akhbar newspaper reported that Salam had held an important meeting with several ministers and deputies two days ago.
At this meeting, he heard various opinions, and some of these opinions encouraged him to postpone the trip, especially due to concerns about internal developments based on security reports that indicated that supporters of the Amal and Hezbollah movements were on the verge of starting a wave of internal protests and that there was a possibility of a siege of the prime minister’s palace.
One of the people who met with Salam said that the prime minister had received a warning that the government might be overthrown while he was out of Beirut; and this is not the first time that such a thing has happened. He recalled that when Saad Hariri was in the White House, the dual coalition and the Free National Movement resigned from the government and overthrew it.
In contrast, some have also quoted Salam as saying: "I do not want to go to America at the same time that negotiations are starting, so that the responsibility for the consequences of direct negotiations is not imposed on me and I do not put myself in the corner of the ring."
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