Qassem says 'no room for normalization or surrender in Lebanon'
Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem said in a speech broadcast in the evening that Hezbollah "will not accept the continued (Israeli) occupation," referring to the ongoing presence of Israeli troops in south Lebanon after a recent war.
The Lebanese group initiated cross-border fire with the Israeli military in support of Hamas on October 8, 2023. Hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah dramatically spiraled into all-out conflict last September, and the group remains a target of Israeli air strikes despite a November 27 ceasefire.
"The prisoners must be released," Qassem said, referring to those captured by Israel during and after the war, adding: "There is no room for normalization or surrender in Lebanon."
The conflict severely weakened Hezbollah, which saw a slew of senior commanders killed, including its longtime chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
Qassem was speaking ahead of an annual Tehran-sponsored pro-Palestinian commemoration later this week
Quds (Jerusalem) Day commemorations, when Iran and its allies organize marches in support of the Palestinians, were launched in 1979 by Iran's revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
They are traditionally held on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which this year is expected to finish at the end of March.
Source: Agence France Presse
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