Hezbollah chief says terror group doesn't care who governs Israel

Tap a highlight to see why it matters.2 findings

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem says the Iran-backed Lebanese terror group is not concerned with the results of Israel’s election, vowing to continue its “resistance” against the neighboring country no matter who wins.

“We do not concern ourselves with who governs Israel, but let it be perfectly clear that it cannot continue its occupation and must leave our land,” Qassem says in a written statement.

“The resistance will continue… and will stand up to the aggression directed against it and against Lebanon, and there is no room to discuss the disarmament” of Hezbollah “as long as the occupation persists and its aggression continues,” he adds.

The group, which once dominated political life in Lebanon, has been weakened by two wars it launched against Israel since 2023.

In June, Lebanon and Israel signed a framework agreement that is meant to lead to the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from territory it holds in Lebanon, and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the area.

Israel continues to carry out sporadic strikes and demolitions in and around the territory it holds in southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah refuses to submit to government plans to disarm it.

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Read the original article on timesofisrael.com

What we found (2)

The Times of Israel reports Naim Qassem's statement on Israel's election. In its own voice it opens by calling Hezbollah "Iran-backed", defining the group first by Iran even though the article says it once dominated Lebanese political life. It twice calls Israel's occupied zone in southern Lebanon territory Israel "holds" and leaves the word occupation to Qassem's quote.

Uses a loaded word
Minor
“Iran-backed Lebanese terror group”
Why this matters
The opening line adds "Iran-backed" as the outlet's default description, defining Hezbollah first by Iran.
The impression it gives
A reader sees Hezbollah chiefly as a foreign proxy rather than a Lebanese political party and armed movement.
The context
The article itself says the group once dominated political life in Lebanon, a domestic fact the "Iran-backed" label pushes aside.
How we know
- Elsewhere in the article“once dominated political life in Lebanon”
Show it in the article
Softens the occupation
Minor
“territory it holds in Lebanon”
Why this matters
The Times of Israel describes Israel's presence in southern Lebanon as territory it "holds".
The impression it gives
A reader understands Israel's presence as a neutral holding position rather than an occupation of another country's land.
The context
The record shows Israel occupies a self-declared security zone in southern Lebanon. Qassem's word "occupation" appears only inside his quote, while the outlet's own voice avoids it.
How we know
- On the recordIsrael occupies a self-declared security zone in southern Lebanon.newscord.org (opens in a new tab)
- Elsewhere in the article“it cannot continue its occupation”
Show it in the article
“sporadic strikes and demolitions in and around the territory it holds in southern Lebanon”
Why this matters
The outlet repeats "territory it holds" and calls continuing Israeli strikes and demolitions "sporadic".
The impression it gives
A reader takes Israel's ongoing strikes and demolitions in occupied Lebanese territory as occasional and minor.
The context
Israel occupies the zone, and its strikes have destroyed more than 40,000 homes in Lebanon. The article gives no figure to support "sporadic".
How we know
- On the recordIsrael occupies a self-declared security zone in southern Lebanon.newscord.org (opens in a new tab)
- On the recordIsraeli strikes have destroyed more than 40,000 homes in Lebanon and displaced more than 1 million people.newscord.org (opens in a new tab)
Show it in the article

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Hezbollah chief says terror group doesn't care who governs Israel

Uses a loaded word

Softens the occupation

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