Qassem says Hezbollah can fight for months, will accept truce if terms suitable

by Naharnet Newsdesk 30 October 2024, 15:01

Hezbollah's new leader, Sheikh Naim Qassem, on Wednesday warned Israel it would pay a heavy price if its forces remain in Lebanon, stressing his group was ready for a prolonged conflict.

"Get out of our land to reduce your losses. If you stay, you will pay more than you have ever paid in your life," Qassem said in a pre-recorded speech, asserting Hezbollah could sustain fighting "for days, weeks and months."

Qassem also said that Hezbollah is recovering from a series of Israeli blows, including the killing of his predecessor Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, with vacant positions filled and plans put in place.

After "painful" blows by Israel, Hezbollah "has started to recover by filling the gaps, appointing alternative leaders and commencing work to organize everything," Qassem added.

Qassem also stressed that the Iran-backed group is fighting Israel to defend Lebanese territory and not as a result of foreign influence.

Hezbollah is not "fighting on anyone's behalf," Qassem stressed, adding that Iran "supports us but doesn't want anything" in return.

Qassem also said he would stick to the war strategy laid out by his predecessor Nasrallah, who was killed by Israeli forces last month after full-scale fighting broke out.

"My work program is a continuation of the work program of our leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah," Qassem said, pledging to press on with "the war plan that he (Nasrallah) developed with the leadership" of the Iran-backed group.

As for the current ceasefire efforts, Qassem said that Hezbollah would accept a truce “if the Israelis decide that they want to stop the aggression.” He, however, said that the ceasefire terms should be “appropriate and suitable,” emphasizing that his group will not “beg for a ceasefire.”

Timeline

30 October 2024, 16:08
Qassem: We will not beg for a ceasefire no matter how much the war protracts.
30 October 2024, 16:00
Qassem: If the Israelis decide that they want to stop the aggression, we will accept that if we find the terms to be acceptable.
30 October 2024, 15:59
Qassem: The enemy must know that its bombing of our villages and cities will not make us retreat.
30 October 2024, 15:58
Qassem: The U.S. elections will have an impact on the war in addition to the achievements on the battlefield.
30 October 2024, 15:56
Qassem: We will not beg for a ceasefire and we will stop the war with Israel on our terms.
30 October 2024, 15:54
Qassem: This battle requires this level of sacrifices.
30 October 2024, 15:54
Qassem: Hezbollah will emerge stronger and victorious from this confrontation.
30 October 2024, 15:53
Qassem: The resistance has protected you from defeat and humiliation, but it cannot prevent sacrifices.
30 October 2024, 15:53
Qassem to U.S. ambassador: You will not witness any defeat of the resistance.
30 October 2024, 15:52
Qassem: The same as we triumphed in July (2006), we will triumph now.
30 October 2024, 15:50
Qassem to Israelis: Get out of our land to lessen your losses.
30 October 2024, 15:49
Qassem: We have the ability to remain resilient for days, weeks and months and I won't say more.
30 October 2024, 15:46
Qassem: They are trying to inflict pain on us, but we are also inflicting pain on them.
30 October 2024, 15:45
Qassem: We fight in an honorable way, while they kill civilians because they are cowards and lack any ethics.
30 October 2024, 15:43
Qassem: Our resistance is legendary.
30 October 2024, 15:40
Qassem: Hezbollah's structure is very huge and it cannot be dismantled or destroyed.
30 October 2024, 15:38
Qassem: Even the Israelis admit that Hezbollah has recovered and is achieving achievements against their army in the battlefield.
30 October 2024, 15:33
Qassem: We rose after the blows we were subjected to because we are a cohesive institution with great capabilities.
30 October 2024, 15:28
Qassem: We are not fighting on behalf of anyone, but rather to protect Lebanon and liberate our land and in support of Gaza.
30 October 2024, 15:27
Qassem: We only attack military bases and Israel only attacks civilians.
30 October 2024, 15:25
Qassem: Iran supports our project and wants nothing from us.
30 October 2024, 15:25
Qassem: Iran is not fighting its battle through us.
30 October 2024, 15:23
Qassem: We do not want war, but we are ready if it is imposed on us and we will win it.
30 October 2024, 15:23
Qassem: The legendary steadfastness of the resistance in Gaza and Lebanon will shape the future of our generations.
30 October 2024, 15:20
Qassem: Through resistance, we are blocking the Israeli project.
30 October 2024, 15:19
Qassem: Netanyahu justified his war in Lebanon as being for the sake of the new Middle East, and his government ministers announced that they want to build settlements in southern Lebanon.
30 October 2024, 15:19
Qassem: The war on Lebanon and Gaza is an Israeli, American, European and global war.
30 October 2024, 15:19
Qassem: International resolutions did not pull Israel out of our land, but the resistance did.
30 October 2024, 15:17
Qassem: Israel did not commit to Resolution 1701 and we counted 39,000 air and sea violations.
30 October 2024, 15:16
Qassem: Israel does not need an excuse to attack Lebanon and they had intended to attack Lebanon on October 11, 2023.
30 October 2024, 15:11
Qassem: We should not be asked why we have assisted Gaza. The others must be asked about failing to assist it.
30 October 2024, 15:10
Qassem: Gaza's assistance was a duty to confront Israel's threat to the entire region.
30 October 2024, 15:10
Qassem: My agenda will be a continuation of that of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
30 October 2024, 15:07
Qassem: I thank the confidence of Hezbollah's leadership for picking me for this heavy burden, but this is a sign of trust.
30 October 2024, 15:04
Qassem: We have many sacrifices ahead of us, but we are confident that victory will be ours.