Hezbollah lawmaker Hussein Hajj Hassan slams US envoy’s remarks, calls for full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon

Hezbollah lawmaker Hussein Hajj Hassan criticized comments by Morgan Ortagus, the U.S. deputy special envoy for the Middle East, saying they reaffirm Washington’s full alignment with Israel.  

“Her statement thanking the Israeli enemy for supposedly defeating Hezbollah is nothing new. It only confirms America’s complete identification with the Zionist entity,” Hajj Hassan, a member of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, said.

He dismissed claims that Hezbollah was defeated, insisting that the group and other resistance movements remain firmly rooted. “The occupying entity she praised will one day cease to exist,” he added.  

Hajj Hassan also accused Lebanese politicians who claim to defend Lebanon's sovereignty of staying silent on Ortagus’ comments about the government formation. 

“They did not issue statements, convene their parties, or react in any way. Either they are powerless or complicit, and in both cases, they should stop talking about sovereignty,” he noted.  

Addressing Arab leaders, he questioned their response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks about relocating Gaza’s population and establishing a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, or Egypt. 

“How will you counter these American pressures and the coming Israeli-American plans for the region?” he asked, adding that Trump dismisses Arab objections by saying, “They will comply.”  

He blamed decades of reliance on the U.S. for weakening the region, leading to internal conflicts and lost resources. “This is why Trump and [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu now claim they can dictate where a Palestinian state should be and enforce normalization by force,” he stated.  

With the February 18 deadline for Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanese border towns approaching, Hajj Hassan urged Lebanese officials to escalate diplomatic and political efforts to ensure full Israeli withdrawal from all Lebanese territory. 

He also called on the U.S. and France, as sponsors of the agreement, to pressure Israel to complete its pullout.