Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem described Lebanon as entering a new phase, saying it was facing dangerous conspiracies and threats in a Friday speech.
In the speech, Qassem claimed that there is a coordinated campaign aimed at ending Hezbollah’s presence in Lebanon.
“[Israel and the US] sought to close air, sea, and land crossings to prevent the arrival of weapons, technology, and anything else that would strengthen the Resistance,” he said.
“The scheme aimed to block reconstruction efforts so that people would remain displaced and homeless, and to turn the Resistance's support base against the Resistance itself. They imposed a suffocating financial blockade to prevent us from addressing the situation or recovering,” he added.
Qassem also accused Israel and the US of reneging on the November 2024 ceasefire agreement due to Assad’s fall, claiming that they believed the balance of power in the region had shifted.
Israel hit Hezbollah hard in past day, ceasefire supposedly started Friday afternoon
The Hezbollah chief, who took over following Israel’s assassination of previous head Hassan Nasrallah and his presumed successor Hashem Safieddine, asserted that Lebanon entered a “most dangerous phase” in his speech.
Still, Qassem rejected the idea that death can deter the terrorist group, stating that “[Hezbollah is] a group that does not fear death, and we are always victorious in confronting those who threaten us with death.”
“The massive losses are less than surrender and defeat. If we are capable of victory, why should we surrender?” he asked.
The IDF has attacked over 100 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon over the past day, the military said in a statement Friday. Moreover, dozens of terrorists were said to have been killed.
Four IDF soldiers fell in battle Friday morning, the IDF announced, including commander of the 52nd Battalion, 401st Brigade, Lieutenant-Colonel Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon.
On Friday afternoon, a source confirmed to The Jerusalem Post that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to a ceasefire starting at 4:00 p.m.
In spite of this, air-alert sirens were activated in Israel at around 4:50 p.m., and Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon were reported by local sources after the ceasefire's intended start time as well.