Lebanon · updated 1h ago · 3 min read
Naim Qassem Says Israel Failed To Break Hezbollah During Beirut Anniversary Event
Naim Qassem says Israel failed to break Hezbollah at Nasrallah anniversary ceremony. Palestine remains the compass; Lebanon urged to suspend direct negotiations with Israel.
Whether post-Nasrallah weakness is leadership failure or structural disruption.
5 of 8 outlets skipped it: qassem calls for withdrawing from south before disarmament talks.
i24NEWS was read line by line by the Watchdog: 4.3. See the score →
26outlets compared
Same story, two versions
tap a side to read it in full
i24NEWS
“Sources close to Hezbollah say current Secretary-General, Naim Qassem, has failed to fill the void left by his predecessor”Read the original ↗
The Jerusalem Post
“Two years later, the organization is still trying to fill the vacuum he left behind.”Read the original ↗
i24NEWS blames Qassem’s failure and claims Iran took over, while The Jerusalem Post focuses on Hezbollah’s structural vacuum after targeted assassinations.
Qassem’s “break” claim
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem told supporters gathered in Lebanon that Israel had failed to break his organization during an event in Beirut’s southern suburbs marking the second anniversary of Hassan Nasrallah’s death. Qassem said Israel and its military had failed to achieve their goals of ending the group’s existence, entrenching the Israeli occupation, and establishing settlements in Lebanon, and he added that Hezbollah was ready for dialogue but first called for southern Lebanon to be liberated and for people to be allowed to return to their homes. AFP correspondents reported tens of thousands of Hezbollah supporters near Nasrallah’s grave in Beirut’s southern suburbs, with participants carrying flags of the group, Lebanon and Iran and portraits of Nasrallah.
The event also honored Hashem Safieddine, who was killed several days after Nasrallah in another strike, according to the same account. Lebanese authorities said more than 4,300 people have been killed in the latest hostilities, while Israel maintained forces in a self-proclaimed security zone extending about 10 kilometers into southern Lebanon.
Dialogue, disarmament, and pressure
Qassem told the crowd that Israel had not managed to “break” the group’s resistance and said “They did not manage to achieve their objectives, to break the resistance and put an end to its existence, to legitimize the Israeli occupation and establish settlements” in southern Lebanon. Qassem also said he was ready for “dialogue” with Lebanese authorities about disarmament, but he demanded that “let them clear the south first, and let the residents return there,” in a speech broadcast to the gathering. The Lebanese authorities committed to disarming Hezbollah and banned its military activity after a ceasefire in November 2024, but the implementation of a June 2026 framework agreement has largely stalled, according to the accounts.
Israel said it will not withdraw its troops as long as Hezbollah poses a threat, and it continued to maintain forces in the security zone extending about 10 kilometers into southern Lebanon. The accounts also described Qassem rejecting the idea that the Lebanese army is a tool for disarming Hezbollah, with one version saying the pressures on Lebanon aim to achieve what Israel has failed to achieve in two years.
Housing displaced, stalled talks
Qassem said Hezbollah was committed to providing shelter, restoration, and reconstruction with available resources and donations, and he said the details of a new housing project for residents of villages that were completely destroyed would be announced very soon. Qassem argued that the Lebanese state should have taken responsibility regarding sheltering and compensating the displaced, and he said “It is still their duty to fulfil their responsibility regarding shelter, compensation, and all obligations related to reconstruction and restoration.” The accounts said more than 340,000 remain displaced because their towns were destroyed or fall within areas occupied by the Israeli military, and they described that most have returned to their homes.
One account said Lebanon and Israel concluded in June a framework agreement under the auspices of the United States providing for the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces subject to Hezbollah’s disarmament, but it said implementation is stalled. Another account said Qassem called on Lebanese authorities to freeze direct negotiations with Israel and accused them of aiding the Israeli-American project rather than confronting it.