Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem Warns Against Israeli Operations in Southern Lebanon

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem used Resistance and Liberation Day on Sunday to deliver a sweeping political and military warning tied to Lebanon’s crisis and ongoing Israeli operations in southern Lebanon.

“Two years ago, Hezbollah, omnipotent on the Lebanese and regional chessboard, was considered one of the best-armed paramilitary groups in the world, with an arsenal of more than 150,000 missiles and rockets, according to the CIA”

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Qassem said, “Resistance and Liberation Day is a celebration for all Lebanese, all free people in the world and Palestine,” and he argued that “resistance strikes forced the occupation to withdraw from the border region in 2000.”

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Hezbollah’s weapons were central to his message, as Qassem rejected calls to limit weapons exclusively to the Lebanese state and said, “Limiting weapons exclusively to the state at this stage is an Israeli project.”

He also warned against direct talks, saying, “Direct negotiations are a pure gain for Israel,” while telling Lebanese officials to reject external pressure and arguing that sovereignty in Lebanon is eroding under “American tutelage.”

In a separate account of Qassem’s speech, The Jerusalem Post reported that Qassem denounced disarmament during his “Resistance and Liberation Day” remarks, saying, “There is no such thing as exclusivity of weapons or disarming Hezbollah.”

The Jerusalem Post also quoted Qassem arguing that disarmament would remove Lebanon’s defensive capability and the capability of the resistance and its people, adding, “Disarmament is extermination, and this is something we cannot accept,” he said.

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The New Indian Express framed Qassem’s position around Lebanon’s participation in any Iran-US agreement, quoting him as saying, “God willing, this agreement will be finalised and there are signs of its completion, and accordingly that we too will be among those included in this agreement -- an agreement of a full cessation of hostilities.”

The New Indian Express further reported that Lebanon was preparing for a fourth round of direct talks with Israel in Washington on June 2 and 3, preceded by a meeting between military delegations at the Pentagon on May 29.

The New Region reported that Qassem linked Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm to ongoing hostilities along the Lebanon-Israel border and to a ceasefire arrangement, saying, “The weapons will remain in our hands until the Lebanese state is capable of carrying out its duties.”

“Resistance is the product of leadership by the Sayyed of martyrs of the Ummah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah," Sheikh Naim Qassem said in remarks marking the celebration of resistance and freedom delivered on Sunday”

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It also reported Qassem’s claim that the Lebanese state reached an indirect agreement on November 24, 2024, intended to end the occupation and halt Israeli attacks, while he said hostilities continued afterward while Lebanese authorities were unable to enforce the deal.

The New Region added that, according to the Lebanese health ministry, 3,151 people have been killed and 9,571 wounded in the country since clashes between Hezbollah and Israel reignited in earnest on March 2.

The New Region said Lebanon and Israel agreed to extend their ceasefire for another 45 days following US-mediated talks in Washington in mid-May, while Israeli strikes on Hezbollah continued on a near-daily basis all the while.