Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said in an Ashura address Wednesday evening that Israel's plan is to eliminate Hezbollah socially, militarily, and culturally, amounting to the destruction of a large part of the Lebanese people. He rejected any Israeli-controlled 'test zones' in southern Lebanon, asserting there are no 'yellow, red, or green' areas, and claimed Hezbollah has foiled the 'Greater Israel' project. Qassem framed the confrontation as an existential battle, citing rights to self-defense.
In his Ashura address Wednesday evening, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem escalated his rhetoric, accusing Israel of pursuing a plan to destroy Lebanese society. 'The Israeli plan in Lebanon is to eliminate Hezbollah socially, militarily, and culturally — in other words, to destroy a large part of the Lebanese people through killing, expulsion, and transfer to other areas, in order to facilitate the swallowing of Lebanon,' Qassem said at 19:23 Jerusalem time.
Qassem rejected any Israeli military presence or 'test zones' in southern Lebanon. 'There are no testing areas in southern Lebanon, no safe areas for Israel, and no yellow, red, or green zones,' he stated, in a direct challenge to Israeli operational concepts. He framed the conflict as existential, asserting the right to self-defense. The remarks continue a series of statements by Qassem this evening; earlier, he called on exploiting a US-Iran deal to drive Israel from Lebanon, as The Zioneer reported at 19:07. The speech comes amid ongoing tensions and follows the organization's formal rejection of ceasefire proposals, as The Zioneer reported on June 5.
2 developments
- StrongHezbollah chief Qassem: Iran ’s power will reshape regional order, Israel seeks to 'disable' Lebanon
- DevelopingQassem: Disarming Hezbollah will destroy Lebanon
- DevelopingHezbollah's Naim Qassem Rejects Ceasefire Deal, Vows Continued Resistance
- DevelopingNaim Qassem: Direct talks with Israel absurd, shameful for Lebanon
Source and signal
- Internal intake