Amidst the backdrop of a slew of assassinations of Hezbollah’s top leadership by Israel– including its former chief Hassan Nasrallah, and his successor, Hashem Safieddine– Naim Qassem, the Lebanese armed group’s new leader said they are willing to end the war with Israel but only if the Jewish nation’s ceasefire terms are deemed ‘suitable’ by the group top command.
‘Hezbollah won’t beg for ceasefire’
Qassem, in a fiery and impassionate televised address, which came as Israeli warplanes pounded Lebanon’s ancient city of Baalbek, forcing millions of civilians to evacuate the region, asserted that Hezbollah will not ‘beg’ for a ceasefire, but is willing to accept one if Israel’s conditions are ‘suitable’.
“If the Israelis decide to stop the aggression, we say that we accept, but according to the conditions that we see as suitable,” the Hezbollah chief said in his prerecorded video message.
The defiant address marks the public appearance of Naim Qassem, after taking over the leadership of Hezbollah, following the assassination of former chief Hassan Nasrallah and his successor Hashem Safieddine, by Israel in the recent past.
Israel-Hezbollah conflict
Hezbollah, the de-facto authority in Lebanon, has been engaged in a decades-long conflict with Israel and has launched several attacks on the Jewish nation since Israel started its ground offensive in Gaza last year in which, according to reports, at least 40,000 civilians have been killed, half of them being children.
However, the conflict took a much more violent turn after Israel’s assassination of former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, following which Israel launching airstrikes in Lebanon and also started a ground invasion in southern Lebanon.
As per estimates, over 2,790 people have been, around 12,700 injured, and millions left homeless due to Israel’s war-like incursion into Lebanon.
Hezbollah ready for ‘long war’
Naim Qassem asserted that even though Israel’s recent series of attacks, including the assassinations of its top leadership, have hurt Hezbollah, but the group has successfully reorganized is ready for a “long war” with Israel if the situation demands.
“We have reorganised our ranks after the cowardly assassination of Sayyed Hassan (Nasrallah). Hezbollah’s capabilities are still available and more than capable of entering a long war,” Qassem stated.
The Hezbollah chief pointed to the dozens of Israeli soldiers wounded and killed in southern Lebanon since the Israeli military began its ground invasion on October 1. He also alluded to a Hezbollah drone striking the home of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this month.
On a possible ceasefire with Israel, Qassem said Hezbollah is in touch with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, the primary Lebanese interlocutor communicating with the United States, which has put forth a series of ceasefire proposals.
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