Lebanon14 August, 20262 min read
Sheikh Qasim Marks Hezbollah’s July 2006 Victory, Demands Prisoner Release
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Qassem says 2006 war was named 'War of the Honest Promise' and led to prisoner releases. Qassem vows not to abandon prisoners and will persist in demanding their release.
Hezbollah marks 2006 victory
The New Arab published a transcript of Sheikh Qasim’s remarks marking the “twentieth anniversary of the July 2006 victory,” describing the 2006 fighting as “the War of the Honest Promise to confront the Israeli occupation.” In the same speech, Sheikh Qasim said, “One of the results of this operation was the release of the prisoners,” and he framed the 2006 outcome as proof that “the resistance is capable of changing the equation.”
Sheikh Qasim also tied the anniversary narrative to a later diplomatic track, saying “the October 2024 agreement was reached calling for the enemy’s withdrawal,” and he argued that “this aggression should end with that agreement.” Hezbollah’s messaging in the transcript extended to a rejection of what he called “the framework agreement,” which he said was “Israeli demands signed in Israeli ink by the Lebanese authority.”
Prisoners and the framework
Al-Manar TV Lebanon posted a statement attributed to Sheikh Qassem on Friday, 14/08/2026, saying, “We will not abandon the prisoners.” In that same Al-Manar item, Sheikh Qassem added, “We will continue to demand, strive, and work for their release, God willing,” positioning the prisoner issue as an ongoing demand.
The New Arab transcript likewise presented a dispute over negotiations and agreements, with Sheikh Qasim saying, “Our objection to the agreement is firstly in direct negotiations and secondly in every provision from its first to its last.” In the same speech, Sheikh Qasim argued that “the framework agreement deprived the authority of suing the enemy in courts,” and he told the Lebanese authority, “What is happening is surrender, and we do not accept it.”
Lebanon’s political line
The New Arab transcript portrayed Sheikh Qasim’s argument as a direct challenge to Lebanon’s political direction, saying “Lebanese authority was not cooperative with the resistance.” He also accused the authority of acting under constraints, saying it was “under guardianship that later emerged through the results,” and he insisted, “We will not accept the guardianship of the Americans to steal the country and its future.”
“We will not accept the guardianship of the Americans to steal the country and its future.”
In the speech, Sheikh Qasim said, “The south must be the central cause today,” and he described the confrontation as “a Karbala-like confrontation” for what he called “this war is existentially aggressive.” Al-Manar’s live page framing repeated the same core theme of steadfastness, with a headline stating, “Framework Agreement Comprises Lebanon’s Surrender to Israeli Enemy, Hezbollah Will Keep Steadfast till Achieving Victory.”