Only Solution Is Ceasefire Because We Won’t Be Defeated: Naim Qassem

Beirut: Hezbollah deputy secretary general Sheikh Naim Qassem said on Tuesday his group has adopted "a new calculation" to inflict pain on Israel, even as he called for a ceasefire.

In his speech, third televised address since the assassination of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's deputy leader reflected more confidence in the collective leadership of Hezbollah.

His message was that the group already turned the page of the assassination of its leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah and pager attacks.

Hezbollah has capabilities to hit the whole map of Israel and Qassem said that the group has been adopting a new strategy - which is inflicting pain on Israel.

He also said that, Hezbollah has now moved from a supporting role to directly "confronting" Israel after the September 17 pager attacks and September 27 assassination of Sayyed Nasrallah.

He reinforced Hezbollah's belief in the legitimacy of their resistance against Israel, stating that "Lebanon cannot be separated from Palestine."

He stressed that Hezbollah was facing Israel's "expansionist" ambitions in the region adding the US was supporting Israel in attempting to create a new Middle East.

Referring to the Israeli expansionist ideology of "Greater Israel," Sheikh Qassem stated, "Lebanon is included in Israel's expansionist project."

"Israel is an usurper regime and does not limit its occupation to Palestine; it seeks to expand its control, as Palestine alone is insufficient for its ambitions. Israel also aims to dominate the territories of Arab and Muslim states," he said.

"America, the biggest devil, wants a new Middle East. Netanyahu shares the same vision. This means the US and Israel are deliberately carrying out this genocide."

Sheikh Qassem said Hezbollah would not be defeated in its longstanding conflict with the Israeli regime.  

"The resistance will never be defeated because they're the ones that own the land. They will fight and die in dignity. Victory will come with patience," he stressed.

"We view our resistance as legitimate, focused on rejecting occupation and liberating the land. This is not an Iranian agenda; rather, it is a Palestinian cause supported by Iran," Qassem said, highlighting that Hezbollah "fights honorably and targets the Israeli military, while Israel's army targets children and medics."

He further noted that Hezbollah fighters have been making progress along the border, signaling ongoing clashes in the region.

"Our missiles reach Haifa and beyond," Qassem said, highlighting the group's potential to strike deep within Israeli territory.

Talking about the return of residents of northern Israel, he said, "The residents of northern Israel cannot return except with a ceasefire."

"The solution is a ceasefire, we are not speaking from a position of weakness," Qassem said. "If the Israelis do not want that, we will continue," he added.

He threatened that more Israelis will be displaced if the war continues, saying that "the number of uninhabited settlements will increase, and hundreds of thousands, even more than two million, will be in danger at any time, at any hour, on any day".

He added that since Israel has attacked all over Lebanon, Hezbollah has the right to attack anywhere in Israel.

On Sunday a Hezbollah drone attack on the barracks of the Golani Brigade south of Haifa killed four soldiers and wounded 61.

Israeli strikes have killed at least 2,309 people in Lebanon over the last year, mainly in the last few weeks. According to the Lebanese government most of them are civilians. More than 1.2 million Lebanese have been displaced.