Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem said in an address on Tuesday, which is obviously meant to lift the morale of the group’s supporters, that Hezbollah is still steady on its feet, despite the blows it has suffered, and has entered the stage of “inflicting pain on the enemy.”
“We moved from being a support (front for Gaza) to confronting the Israeli war on Lebanon, and the Mujahideen (Hezbollah’s combatants) are confronting the enemy in multiple places,” Qassem said.
Referring to the attack that targeted the Israeli military base of Binyamina, south of Haifa, last Sunday, Qassem said, “We shifted to the stage of hurting the enemy, and here our missiles are reaching Haifa and beyond, as the Master (Hassan Nasrallah) wanted.”
“Since the enemy targeted all of Lebanon, we have the right, from a defensive position, to target any point in the Israeli entity, and we will choose the point we deem appropriate,” he said, adding, “I am telling the Israeli home front: the solution is a ceasefire.”
However, he insisted, “we cannot separate Lebanon from Palestine.”
Seeking justification and legitimacy for continuing Hezbollah’s war against Israel, he added, “Israel is a usurper with expansionist occupation (ambitions) that poses a threat to the region and the world. It is not satisfied with Palestine but wants Lebanon and the entire Arab region.”
Qassem sought to further reassure Hezbollah’s popular base by stressing that the pro-Iranian group “has regained its health and is strong, despite the harsh blows it has sustained” and that “there is no vacant leadership position” following Israel’s killing of its secretary general and most of its leadership figures.
While bragging about Hezbollah’s “achievements”, including sending millions of Israelis rushing into shelters and firing missiles deeper into Israeli territory, the turbaned cleric failed to mention the cost that Lebanon and its people have paid and are still paying in terms of the massive destruction of southern Lebanese villages and the high death toll that exceeded 2,000 with over 10,000 wounded.
An unconvincing Qassem promised victory, appealing for patience and courage from Hezbollah’s supporters who have been massively displaced, ending up in crowded shelters and even on the street.
Shortly after Qassem ended his speech, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee retorted, “You have become a beaten monster with no ‘tricks’... Enough of gambling with Lebanon.”
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