Lebanese ambassador targeted by Hezbollah campaign against ‘traitorous’ deal with Israel

The terror organization Hezbollah and its allies have launched a broad campaign against the agreement with Israel that was signed in Washington, D.C., last Friday by Lebanon's ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh Moawad.

Next to the president and the prime minister, Hamadeh has drawn fierce criticism over the deal, which they describe as an act of treason and capitulation to Israel.

Yemeni cartoonist Kamal Sharaf, a prominent illustrator associated with the "Axis of Resistance," satirically depicted Hamadeh embracing Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter following the signing of the agreement.

Sharaf depicted her embracing a faceless figure wearing an IDF uniform with blood dripping from his hands. The caption read: “The traitor Nada Hamadeh Moawad, ambassador of the traitors in Lebanon and to her people, [President] Joseph Aoun and [Prime Minister] Nawaf Salam, embraces the Zionist entity.”

The original image that allegedly served as the basis for the drawing shows Hamadeh hugging Michel Issa, the Lebanese-born U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon, rather than Leiter, as some social media posts incorrectly claimed.

Hamadeh said the deal "is the first step to restoring Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity, securing a permanent and final cessation of hostilities, enabling our people to go back to their land, and allowing all Lebanese to live in peace, safety, and prosperity."

Thousands of Hezbollah supporters rioted in the capital the night after the signing. Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem warned in a speech that linking Hezbollah’s disarmament to the IDF’s withdrawal from Lebanon was “a very dangerous proposal that crosses all red lines.”

The group strongly opposed holding direct talks with Israeli representatives from the start.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that the “historic” agreement was a “massive blow to Iran and Hezbollah.” 

“The U.S. and Lebanon have recognized Israel's right to maintain the security zone inside Lebanon for as long as it is required for our security,” Netanyahu said in the video. “We will continue to hold it until Hezbollah and the rest of the terrorist organizations are disarmed, and until no further threat to Israel is posed from Lebanon.” 

🗣️ Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh (@NadaHamadeh) at the Lebanon-Israel signing ceremony:

- The trilateral framework is the first step to restoring Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity, securing a permanent and final cessation of hostilities, enabling our people to go… pic.twitter.com/1S7LTHltWY

— This Is Beirut (@ThisIsBeirut_) June 26, 2026

The agreement is “humiliating,” a “concession of sovereignty,” and “void,” Qassem charged, demanding that the Lebanese government insist on the implementation of the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and a full withdrawal of Israeli troops.

“We say to the Lebanese authorities: The time has come for you to retreat from the sins that are destroying Lebanon.”

On Monday, Qassem was joined by Nabih Berri, the veteran Lebanese Parliament Speaker and leader of the Shiite Amal movement, which is aligned with Hezbollah but generally seen as less militant and extreme. However, Berri has ostensibly served as Hezbollah’s spokesman and representative in diplomatic negotiations over the past few years.

Berri said that “this agreement will not pass, and it will not be implemented in its current form,” adding that it was “an agreement of ‘dictates,’ not an agreement that preserves Lebanon’s rights.”

Speaking to the Hezbollah-affiliated newspaper Al-Akhbar, Berri also demanded that the MOU be implemented, rejecting the linkage of Hezbollah’s disarmament to Israel's withdrawal. He warned that only the MoU could create “the balance that will compel the Zionists to fulfill their commitments.”

Berri also urged Hezbollah supporters to remain calm and avoid rioting to prevent the country from sliding into chaos.

Mahmoud Qamati, deputy head of Hezbollah's Political Council, doubled down on the threats that the agreement was “stillborn,” affirming Hezbollah wouldn’t “allow its implementation.”

However, in an interview with the Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, he also said, “We will not undertake a massive popular mobilization, and we will never want to create any problems within Lebanon.”

Another senior Hezbollah official, Nawaf al-Moussawi, said the Lebanese government does not represent the people, and that President Aoun “has lost his legitimacy due to the lack of partnership in national decision-making.”

“Therefore, what the Lebanese government signed represents neither Lebanon, nor legitimacy, nor the homeland,” Moussawi added.