Shafaq News – Beirut

On Wednesday, Lebanese Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem defended the group’s dual path of armed resistance and political involvement, calling both “inseparable pillars” of its identity.

Speaking at a memorial for Commander Fouad Shukr, killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs on July 30, 2024, Qassem argued that Hezbollah’s role extends beyond symbolic defiance, describing the resistance as a “core element” of Lebanon’s national defense alongside the army and the people.

On the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire, Qassem acknowledged relative calm but dismissed any suggestion that it implies disarmament, insisting Hezbollah’s weapons are non-negotiable and remain a domestic issue.

He rejected claims of declining influence, asserting that the party’s political and social roots have only deepened, while accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire “out of fear.”

Qassem also condemned US Special Envoy Tom Barrack’s recent warnings about regional escalation, claiming his visit delivered threats but received only a “unified Lebanese call to end Israeli aggression.”

While accusing Israel of using border disputes to mask expansionist goals, he warned that settlement growth would resume the moment resistance weakens.

On the regional front, the Secretary-General described Israeli strikes in Syria as attempts to redraw borders by force, labeling the campaign “a prototype” for regional destabilization through assassinations and territorial control.

Turning to Gaza, Qassem denounced Israeli and US actions as deliberate genocide, urging the international community to confront what he called a threat to global humanity.