Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General, Sheikh Naim Kassem is opposed to the Amal-Hezbollah tandem being seen as solely responsible for blocking the presidential election.
In a televised interview with local channel LBCI on Tuesday evening, Sheikh Kassem said that the other parties would also have to make concessions, and expressed surprise at the accusations of blockage leveled at the Shiite tandem.
One wonders how the deputy secretary was able to conceal the fact that the sovereignist camp has already made two concessions: the first by abandoning the candidacy of MP Michel Moawad, and the second by declaring itself in favor of a third candidate, thus ruling out the candidacy of former minister Jihad Azour.
“We refuse a president who opposes the resistance,” he insisted, assuring us that the issue of the presidential election is not linked to the situation on the southern front.
Regarding the danger of the Gaza war spreading to Lebanon, the deputy secretary asserted that “90% of our data indicates that there will be no generalized war, but we remain ready for the other 10%.”
In this respect, he was quick to point out that there will be no ceasefire on the southern front without a halt to the fighting in Gaza.
“The ball is in the Israeli-American court, he continued. It’s not up to Hezbollah to give guarantees or reassure anyone.” In this context, Sheikh Kassem explained that “Hezbollah is in a position of preventive defense against Israel’s expansionist intentions,” which, according to him, is planning to set up settlements in southern Lebanon. Accordingly, Hezbollah’s role is to “dissuade Israel and confront any aggression.”
Asked about the Hezb’s relationship with the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), Sheikh Kassem said that the difference of opinion was occasional and concerned “certain political positions,” asserting that “communication channels remain open with all Christian parties, even the FPM.”
