Naim Qassem: US seeks to hand Lebanon to Israel, Hezbollah will never yield to pressure

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem said that Israel committed “a major and exceptional act of aggression in Qatar,” calling it a crime that must be condemned and confronted by the international community, as Israel has “crossed every line.”

Qassem declared Hezbollah’s support for Qatar, describing the attack as part of Israel’s broader “Greater Israel” project rather than an isolated incident.

He argued that Hezbollah remains the main obstacle to this project and urged Arab and Islamic countries to back Hezbollah’s stance in international forums. 

“If Hezbollah is eliminated — and it will not be — you will not be able to confront Israel despite all your resources, because Israel’s power is built on U.S. military and technological support,” he said.

Qassem called on states to support Hezbollah “to protect your regimes, peoples, and countries,” adding that this would deny Israel and the United States any leverage. 

He warned Arab governments not to undermine Hezbollah by pressuring it or demanding concessions, saying, “Stop speaking about exclusive control of weapons. Whoever imagines that taking away the enemy’s pretexts will stop its aggression is delusional, because Israel will persist with its project.”

He asked, “Why don’t you support Hezbollah financially, politically, in the media, socially, or in international forums?” 

He argued that true patriotism in Lebanon means defending the nation and liberating its land, stressing that Hezbollah has sacrificed heavily in its fight against Israel.

Qassem also accused the United States of trying to hand “all of Lebanon” to Israel by seeking to strip Hezbollah of its weapons, whether through the Lebanese state or through war.

He concluded by saying Hezbollah has contributed to Lebanon’s stability, pointing to its role in bringing President Joseph Aoun to office and in confronting Israeli aggression.