In a pre-recorded televised speech, Qassem stated that the war would only end when Israel ceases its "aggression" against Lebanon. He emphasized that indirect negotiations, mediated by his ally Nabih Berri, Lebanon's parliament speaker, would only occur afterwards.

Hezbollah, Qassem stressed, is waging a defensive war of attrition, one for which it has prepared since the conclusion of the 2006 Lebanon war. The group is backed by "tens of thousands of fighters, ready to die as martyrs," equipped with weapons and training, he added.

"What will stop this... war is the battlefield," he said.

“Soon, it will be the enemy [Israel] who will be begging for a halt to the fighting,” he said.

He further accused Israel of seeking to defeat Hezbollah as part of a broader plan to conquer Lebanon and "reshape the Middle East."

In response to Israeli brutal attacks, Qassem vowed Hezbollah would continue launching rockets and drones at Israel, warning that recent attacks were only a preview of what was to come.

On the impact of the Israeli war on Lebanese civilians, Qassem acknowledged the heavy toll and said it is the "price to pay for victory."

Qassem also addressed the abduction of a senior naval operative by Israeli commandos in northern Lebanon last week, calling it a “humiliation” for Lebanon and demanding accountability from the Lebanese Armed Forces and the German contingent of the UNIFIL peacekeeping force overseeing naval patrols.