Courtesy of JNS. Photo credit: Courtney Bonneau/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem delivers a speech during the funeral of Hezbollah terrorist Ibrahim Aqil in Beirut, Sept. 22, 2024
(JNS) — Hezbollah will not tolerate any Israeli military presence in Southern Lebanon, the Iranian terrorist proxy’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem declared on Sunday.
In a televised interview with Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar television, Qassem accused the Jewish state of multiple ceasefire violations, warning that the Israel-Lebanon truce will not hold.
“I say to the Israelis — if you stay in these positions, how long do you think it will last? The resistance will not allow you to remain there,” he said. “If the occupation persists, the army, the people and the resistance will confront it. We have no ties to any agreement between the U.S. and Israel.”
The IDF confirmed last month that its forces would remain in five outposts in Southern Lebanon beyond the ceasefire deadline of Feb. 18. Israel’s decision to keep boots on the ground in Lebanon was made in conjunction with the Trump administration.
It was Qassem’s first interview since taking leadership of the terrorist group in late October following Israel’s targeted killing of his predecessor Hassan Nasrallah.
Qassem also claimed that rebuilding war-affected areas was the responsibility of the Lebanese state, while reaffirming Hezbollah’s continued role in the country’s political and military landscape.
The Nov. 27, 2024, ceasefire ended more than a year of clashes, including a two-month war involving Israeli ground forces. The agreement stipulated a full Israeli withdrawal within 60 days, but Israeli troops remain in the five key border positions, citing security concerns and the failure of the Lebanese Armed Forces to fully deploy and of Hezbollah to withdraw from south of the Litani River.
The terrorist leader also addressed security failures and leadership changes, admitting “shortcomings” and a “security breach, but denying Hezbollah’s defeat: “We reached an agreement, stopped the fire, and still retain our capabilities.”
Qassem revealed that after Nasrallah’s assassination, he initially proposed Hashem Safieddine as Hezbollah’s leader, but an Israeli airstrike killed him days later.
Regarding Hezbollah terrorist actions, he claimed responsibility for a drone attack on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Caesarea family home on Oct. 19, saying that “reaching Netanyahu’s house proves our capabilities remain intact.”
In an apparent contradiction, Qassem stressed that Hezbollah targeted only military sites to avoid giving Israel an excuse to escalate matters.
