Hezbollah chief says won’t disarm until Israel leaves southern Lebanon

Naim Qassem says his radical volition not surrender oregon laic down weapons successful effect to Israeli threats, contempt unit connected the radical to disarm.

The Hezbollah main says the Lebanese radical remains unfastened to peace, but it volition not disarm oregon backmost down from confronting Israel until it ends its aerial raids and withdraws from confederate Lebanon.

“We cannot beryllium asked to soften our stance oregon laic down arms portion [Israeli] aggression continues,” Naim Qassem told thousands of supporters gathered successful Beirut’s confederate suburbs connected Sunday for Ashura, an important time successful the Shia Muslim calendar.

Ashura commemorates the 680 AD Battle of Karbala, successful which Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussein, was killed aft helium refused to pledge allegiance to the Umayyad caliphate. For Shia Muslims, the time symbolises absorption against tyranny and injustice.

The Beirut area, a Hezbollah stronghold, was draped successful yellowish banners and echoed with chants of absorption arsenic Qassem delivered his speech, flanked by portraits of his predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed by Israel successful September past year.

Later connected Sunday, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported the Israeli subject launched a bid of aerial strikes connected confederate and eastbound Lebanon, including successful the country astir the eastbound metropolis of Baalbek.

The Israeli subject said successful a connection it struck “several Hezbollah subject sites, strategical weapons accumulation and retention sites, and a rocket launching site”.

Israel launched a wide-scale battle connected Lebanon connected October 8, 2023 – a time aft Palestinian radical Hamas, which counts Hezbollah arsenic an ally, stormed the Israeli territory, sidesplitting immoderate 1,100 radical and taking astir 250 others captive.

The Hamas onslaught was instantly followed by Israel’s bombing of the Gaza Strip, which has killed much than 57,000 Palestinians, astir of them women and children. The Israeli genocidal run was accompanied by a brutal blockade connected introduction of nutrient and aesculapian aid, bringing the enclave’s 2.3 cardinal residents to the brink of starvation.

Israel’s simultaneous onslaught connected Lebanon escalated into a full-scale warfare by September 2024, sidesplitting much than 4,000 people, including overmuch of Hezbollah’s apical leadership, and displacing astir 1.4 million, according to authoritative data. A United States-brokered ceasefire nominally ended the warfare successful November.

However, since the ceasefire, Israel has continued to inhabit 5 strategical borderline points successful confederate Lebanon and has carried retired near-daily aerial strikes that it says purpose to forestall Hezbollah from rebuilding its capabilities. Those strikes person killed immoderate 250 radical and wounded 600 others since November, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health.

“How tin you expect america not to basal steadfast portion the Israeli force continues its aggression, continues to inhabit the 5 points, and continues to participate our territories and kill?” Qassem said successful his video address.

“We volition not beryllium a portion of legitimising the concern successful Lebanon and the region. We volition not judge normalisation,” helium added, successful an evident effect to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar saying his authorities was “interested” successful specified a move.

Qassem said Hezbollah’s weapons would not beryllium connected the negotiating array unless Israel “withdraws from the occupied territories, stops its aggression, releases the prisoners, and reconstruction begins”.

“Only then,” helium said, “will we beryllium acceptable for the 2nd stage, which is to sermon nationalist information and defence strategy”.

On Saturday, Israeli drones carried retired four strikes connected confederate Lebanese towns, sidesplitting 1 idiosyncratic and wounding respective others. Most of the Israeli attacks person targeted areas adjacent the border, but Israeli warplanes person besides deed residential neighbourhoods successful Beirut’s confederate districts, causing panic and wide evacuations.

Qassem’s code came arsenic the US envoy to Turkiye and Syria, Tom Barrack, was expected successful Beirut connected Monday. Lebanese officials accidental the US has demanded that Hezbollah disarm by the extremity of the year. Israel has warned it volition proceed striking Lebanon until the radical is disarmed.

But Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun has repeatedly called connected the US and its allies to rein successful Israel’s attacks, noting that disarming Hezbollah is simply a “sensitive, delicate issue”.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies