After decades of constant fighting against Israel, Lebanon “must stop following pipe dreams… the nation does not want to fight,” said Hezbollah ally Wiam Wahhab

“We want to live comfortably,” he added, suggesting that “the only victor in the region is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who continues to reshape the Middle East.”

The Lebanon front has paid a heavy price since Hezbollah opened a support front for Gaza,” said Wahhab, referring to the more than year of attacks by the terror group on northern Israel, starting right after the Hamas onslaught on the south on October 7, 2023

Israel believes that around 3,500 Hezbollah operatives have been killed throughout the conflict.

A tentative ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah entered into effect last month, though each side has accused the other of violating the terms of the deal.

Wahhab suggested that the Iranian Axis of Resistance “ended after the deaths of [Iranian general] Qassem Soleimani [in 2020] and [Hezbollah leader] Hassan Nasrallah” in an Israeli airstrike earlier this year.

The only path forward, he said, is normalization with the State of Israel.

The Lebanese politician is known for his outspoken statements, and has made comments suggesting Lebanon abandon its fight against Israel in the past.

In October 2022 after Israel and Lebanon reached an agreement over their maritime border, Wahhab said in an interview with al-Jadeed that, “in my opinion [by signing the deal] we went for sustainable peace. Let’s not kid around.”