Hezbollah chief Qassem says group will confront Israel, IDF ‘will not be able to remain in Lebanon’
The IDF “may occupy, kill, and destroy, but we will confront it so that it does not settle,” Naim Qassem told Al Mayadeen.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said that Israel “will not be able to remain in Lebanon” while delivering a speech broadcast by Hezbollah-affiliated outlet Al Mayadeen on Monday.
The IDF “may occupy, kill, and destroy, but we will confront it so that it does not settle,” he added.
“This is within our capability. The role of resistance now is greater and stronger,” he continued.
Qassem also stated that the US is a danger to Lebanon, posing a threat to the country via “sabotage and sedition.”
We will not relinquish the “weapon that protects us from our enemy,” he continued.
A Hezbollah terrorist stands in front of anti-tank artillery at Juroud Arsal (credit: REUTERS/ALI HASHISHO)
“Those who want to disarm us are like those who seek to take our soul from us, and then they will witness our might,” he warned.
The Lebanese government must first ensure Israel complies with a November 27 ceasefire agreement before talks on a national defense strategy can take place, Qassem said, reaffirming the Iran-backed terror group’s refusal to disarm.
Hezbollah’s ‘resistance’
Qassem also discussed the important role that “resistance” plays to the terror group.
“Resistance is faith and will, it is nationalism and honor, it is pride and resilience, and it is a condition opposite to humiliation, surrender, and submission,” he said.
It is a “reaction to aggression, confronting it and obstructing its objectives,” he added.
Qassem also commented on the alleged support that Hezbollah has among Lebanon’s population, claiming that the terror group possesses “more than half of the Lebanese people” as their “supporters and backers.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
This is a developing story.
