A photo of a screen shows Hezbollah’s new leader, Sheikh Naim Qassem delivering a televised speech broadcast on Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV channel, in Beirut, Lebanon, on Wednesday. Lebanon’s Hezbollah announced Tuesday that its deputy leader Qassem had been appointed to succeed late chief Hassan Nasrallah (R). Photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA-EFE
Hezbollah’s newly appointed leader, Sheikh Naim Qassem, pledged Wednesday to continue fighting Israel, saying any negotiation to stop the raging war will start with a cease-fire first.
“We continue to confront the aggression, and if the enemy [Israel] wants to stop it, [if] we accept the conditions that we deem appropriate, the basis of any negotiation is a cease-fire first,” Qassem said during a speech that was broadcast on Hezbollah-run Al Manar TV. Advertisement
It was his first speech since his appointment was announced Tuesday. He replaced Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated by Israel on Sept. 27, and Hashem Saffiedine, Nasrallah’s presumed successor, who was killed Oct. 8.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was quick in threatening Qassem, saying he will not stay long in his post. Advertisement
“Temporary appointment. Not for long.” Gallant said posting a picture of the 71-year-old cleric on X with comments in Hebrew. “The countdown has begun.”
Qassem, who served as the deputy secretary-general since1991, advised Israel not “to bet on time” because it is suffering “big losses” and will be “forced to stop its aggression.”
“Get out of our land to mitigate your losses. Otherwise, you will pay an unprecedented price,” he said, adding that his Iran-backed group will emerge “stronger and victorious” from the war, similarly to the Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006.
Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire across the border since the militant group opened a “support front” for Gaza in October 2023.
The conflict descended into war when Israel expanded its attacks Sept. 17 with an unprecedented, highly sophisticated pager and walkie-talkies attack against Hezbollah members, killing a dozen people and wounding more than 3,000.
The peak was the assassination of Nasrallah in his bunker in Beirut’s southern suburbs 10 days later, along with several of his military commanders.
Israel stepped up its strikes by targeting more Hezbollah officials, headquarters, missiles launchers, bases and even its financial arm in the group’s main strongholds in Beirut’s southern suburbs, as well as southern and eastern Lebanon. Advertisement
Israeli forces then started to advance inside southern Lebanon, where they met fierce resistance by Hezbollah fighters who kept on firing missiles into Israeli territory. The relentless Israeli air and ground bombardment led to large destruction of villages, property, hospitals and schools in the targeted areas.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry documented the killing of 2,822 people and injury of 12,937 wounded up to Tuesday.
Qassem said Nasrallah’s assassination that followed the pager and walkie-talkie bombings during which “4,000 fighters and civilians were hurt” was “painful to us” but the party soon “regained its position … by filling all vacant posts within 11 days.”
He said the “battlefield confirms that the party has recovered from the attacks,” proving that “it is a large, cohesive institution with great capabilities.”
He referred to Hezbollah’s drone attack that targeted the beach house of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the coastal city of Caesarea on Oct. 19. Netanyahu and his wife were not at home at the time.
Netanyahu survived this time, “and perhaps his time has not yet come,” he added.
Qassem called on his fighters and followers to “steadfast,” referring to the group’s preparations for “a long war.” Advertisement
The new leader argued that through resistance, Hezbollah was foiling Netanyahu’s “new Middle East project” that was supported by the United States and the West.
“We are capable of that …. We broke several surprises,” he said, noting that his group will not “stand and watch” Israel’s “brutal and criminal” actions and was keen to “defend Lebanon, liberate our land and support our brothers in Palestine.”
“Our project is for our country to be independent, and to prevent America and Israel from controlling us,” he said, emphasizing that its resistance was not aimed at supporting Iran.
Qassem’s comments came at a time when U.S. mediators were working on a proposal to end the war between Hezbollah and Israel by achieving a 60-day cease-fire, during which discussions would focus on finalizing mechanisms for the full implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701.
The resolution, which ended the war in 2006, but has gone unforced with violations from both parties, called for the complete withdrawal of the Israeli forces while the Lebanese Army and the United Nations peacekeeping forces take charge of maintaining security in southern Lebanon. As a result, Hezbollah should not have any armed presence south of the Litani River. Advertisement
