Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem has stressed that Lebanon is facing a “dangerous, expansionist Israeli aggression”

Highlights from the speech of the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sheikh Naim Qassem, during the festival organized by Hezbollah, “Blood and Ink,” in glorification of the martyred scholars on the path to Al-Quds:

Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire that took effect on November 27, 2024. Under the deal, Tel Aviv was required to withdraw entirely from Lebanese territory—but has kept forces stationed at five sites, in clear violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the terms of the November 2024 agreement.

Zionist-israel bombs Lebanon at will, sometimes daily.  This has not ceased since the cease-fire.  Hezbollah decided to stay with the terms of the cease-fire in order to work with the Lebanese government and attempt to build some strength into this comprador government.  They also needed time to recover from decapitation strikes on their leadership.  So Hezbollah finds itself in a position where it is part of the Lebanese government, but not in essence, and the zionist aggression has not ceased.  The continual call is for Hezbollah to disarm, and they won’t.

Since the implementation of the ceasefire, Israel has violated the agreement thousands of times through repeated assaults on Lebanese territory. Lebanese authorities have warned that the regime’s violations of the ceasefire threaten national stability.

—
This enemy is an expansionist enemy; it has not adhered to the agreement, and its aggressions are constant. This is not due to the presence of Hezbollah’s weapons, but rather with the aim of gradually establishing the occupation of Lebanon and drawing “Greater ‘israel'” through the gateway of Lebanon.

America has no relation to weapons, nor to defense strategy, nor to the disagreements among Lebanese.

They want to disarm, dry up financial sources, prevent services, close schools and hospitals, and they practice a policy of preventing reconstruction and donations, and demolishing homes.

Do you want to convince us that the issue is only disarmament, and then the situation in Lebanon will be resolved?  No one in the world can prevent the capability of defense, and this is a foregone conclusion. Let them try that with the defeated, not with us.

The participation of a civilian delegation in the mechanism committee violates the basic condition that stipulated a cessation of hostilities by the enemy. You have offered a free concession that will change nothing in the enemy’s stance or its aggression.

The civilian delegation went and met, and then pressure increased, and aggressions increased, and ‘israel’ wants to tell the Lebanese: We want you under fire.  This measure is an additional blunder added to the blunder of August 5.

We in Hezbollah have done our part, and we have enabled the state to impose its sovereignty within the framework of the agreement, and be certain: when we unite, they cannot do anything.

“We will defend ourselves, our people, and our country and are ready to sacrifice to the maximum and will not surrender.”

Identifying with “‘israel'” means piercing the ship… and then everyone will drown.