Naim Qassem: We remain committed to resistance
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem said Sunday that the resistance in Lebanon had thwarted Israel’s military aggression and prevented it from achieving its objectives, stressing that the resistance would continue despite major sacrifices.
Speaking at a festival marking the second anniversary of the killing of former Hezbollah secretaries-general Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, Qassem said the resistance confronted Zionist regime’s forces and prevented Israel from consolidating its occupation and establishing settlements in Lebanon.
Qassem said the resistance managed to withstand massive Israeli military forces numbering around 90,000 soldiers and officers, arguing that they had failed to break the resistance or impose Israel’s objectives on the ground.
Resistance holds its ground in southern Lebanon
Qassem said resistance fighters halted the advance of Israeli brigades and tens of thousands of soldiers despite intense bombardment and destruction, pointing to continued steadfastness in several southern Lebanese towns and positions.
He named Bint Jbeil, Khiam, Aita al-Shaab, Naqoura, Bayada, Ali al-Taher and other areas as locations where resistance fighters had held their ground against Israeli military operations. According to Qassem, resistance at Ali al-Taher continued for three months.
He stressed that the confrontation was against Israel, which he said enjoys extensive US support, saying that the scale of the sacrifices made would not lead Hezbollah to abandon the path of resistance.
Qassem: We will not accept defeat
Qassem recalled previous statements in which he maintained that Israel would be unable to achieve its objectives on the battlefield, regardless of how long the confrontation lasted.
Addressing Zionist regime’s attempts to return to areas in southern Lebanon, Qassem said the confrontation could continue for a long time and that Israel’s ability to achieve its objectives on the ground remained to be tested.
He reiterated Hezbollah’s commitment to resistance, describing it as, in his view, the guarantee for liberating occupied land and achieving independence and sovereignty in the face of occupation. He added that resistance was not limited to any particular group, but encompassed everyone who resists.
Continued Israeli escalation in southern Lebanon
Qassem’s remarks came amid continued Zionist regime’s military escalation in southern Lebanon, including airstrikes, artillery shelling, machine-gun fire, the demolition of homes and other structures, and Israeli military movements in several border towns.
The escalation comes amid continuing disagreements over arrangements in southern Lebanon, alongside a US-mediated diplomatic and security track.
Recent developments on the ground have kept southern Lebanon in a state of heightened tension despite an ongoing process concerning a gradual Israeli withdrawal and the deployment of the Lebanese army to areas from which Israeli forces are expected to withdraw.
Against this backdrop, Qassem’s remarks underscore Hezbollah’s continued commitment to resistance against the Israeli occupation, as military developments in southern Lebanon intersect with an internal Lebanese debate over security arrangements, sovereignty and the future of the border region.