Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem. File photo
Qassem’s comments came a day after Israel targeted the political leadership of the Palestinian Hamas group in Qatar’s capital, Doha, whose government has been a key mediator in Israel's ongoing war on the Gaza Strip. The airstrikes did not kill Hamas leaders, but five lower-ranking members and a Qatari security officer died in the attack.
“We are on the side of Qatar that was subjected to an aggression and we also stand with the Palestinian resistance,” Qassem said. He added that the Israeli strike was part of attempts to create a “Greater Israel” across large parts of the Middle East.
Qassem’s remarks came days after the Lebanese government approved a military proposal to disarm Hezbollah, which suffered significant losses during Israel’s September 2024 escalation in Lebanon that ended in November with a US-brokered ceasefire.
He said the reason Israel has been unable to achieve its expansionist goals is the presence of resistance groups in Lebanon, Gaza, and other parts of the Middle East. He urged oil-rich Gulf countries to support such groups financially, politically, and socially.
“If the enemy defeats the resistance, and it will not be able to, your turn will be next,” Qassem warned, referring to Gulf states with normalised relations with Israel, including Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Speaking about Lebanon, Qassem said the ceasefire that ended Israel's escalation against Hezbollah did not meet its objectives. Israel has since repeatedly violated the truce.
Since the ceasefire took effect, Israel has carried out near-daily airstrikes on Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah members. However, with Hezbollah largely dismantled in the south, the strikes have increasingly killed Lebanese civilians.
Qassem called for national unity in Lebanon and said Hezbollah was not ready to discuss disarmament outside the framework of a “national security strategy.”
Hezbollah officials, including Qassem, have refused to consider disarming before Israel withdraws from five hills it occupies inside Lebanon and stops airstrikes on the country.
Israel’s most recent escalation against Lebanon killed more than 4,000 people, many of them civilians, and caused $11 billion in damage, according to the World Bank. In Israel, 127 people died, including 80 soldiers.
Cross-border fire erupted after Israel launched its war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, with Hezbollah firing rockets in solidarity with Palestinians suffering under Israel’s devastating campaign. In response, Israel carried out intense airstrikes across Lebanon, primarily in the south, where support for Hezbollah is strongest.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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