Why it matters:
Sheikh Naim Qassem’s remarks underline Hezbollah’s continued framing of Lebanon’s political, economic and security challenges as inseparable from the conflict with the Israeli regime and U.S. pressure, reinforcing rejection of disarmament.
The big picture:
Speaking at the inauguration of a Lebanese medical center in the Hadath area of Beirut’s southern suburbs, Sheikh Naim Qassem portrayed resistance as the foundation of Lebanon’s independence, warning that any retreat or surrender would erase the country’s status as a sovereign state.
What he's saying:
Qassem said Lebanon preserved its independence by liberating its land and possesses “real capabilities,” stressing that “the main problem in Lebanon is American and Israeli aggression” and that preventing it is impossible without “the military power of the resistance, popular solidarity and political strength.”
He added that continued attacks aim to end the resistance and destroy Lebanon’s power, but said these efforts have failed over 15 months, including attempts to create divisions between the army and the resistance, between the resistance and the public, and between Hezbollah and the Amal Movement.
He described Hezbollah and the Amal Movement as “one body,” dismissing claims of internal rifts and calling recent meetings between their leaders routine.
He warned that an Israeli infantry incursion into the town of al-Habbariyeh to abduct a leader of the Islamic Group had a “negative impact on Lebanon’s security and sovereignty.”
Go deeper:
Qassem warned that international pressure, led by the United States, to disarm the resistance and push Lebanon toward the August 5 decision on weapons monopoly has failed because it lacks legitimacy and contradicts the constitutional right to defense.
M.Majdi - ahmad shirzadian
