Naim Qassem is willing to maintain “indirect” contacts with Jerusalem to reach a truce that will end more than a year of war
- Qassem spoke for the first time after being appointed head of the terrorist group Hezbollah
- He said that the war may continue for months, but it opened the door to a dialogue with Israel
- “If the enemy decides to agree to a ceasefire, We will say yes, but with conditions”
The essential: after the death of Hassan Nasrallah, former leader of Hezbollah, in an Israeli attack in Beirut, his successor, Naim Qassem, said the Lebanese Shiite group has the capacity to continue the fight against Israel for several months, although he showed willingness to reach a ceasefire “with conditions” through indirect negotiations. In his first speech as secretary general, Qassem called for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon and highlighted the role of the speaker of the Lebanese parliament, Nabih berri, in mediation efforts.
Hezbollah's new leader, Naim Qassem, said on Wednesday that the terrorist group has the capacity to continue confronting Israel “for months”, although he reiterated that he is willing to agree to a ceasefire “with conditions.”
“We can go on for months, I won’t say any more”, Qassem said in his first speech after being named yesterday as the new secretary general of Hezbollah to succeed Hassan Nasrallah, killed a month ago by Israel in a massive bombing of the southern suburbs of Beirut known as the Dahye.
During his speech, he asked “patience” to the fighters and the Lebanese, while demanding that Israeli soldiers leave Lebanon, which began a ground operation in the south of the country at the beginning of October: “Leave our land to reduce your losses, if you stay you will see defeat”He said.
"Will the war drag on?" "It seems that the US elections will be a turning point," Qassem asked, indicating that "there may be someone who will put the brakes on (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu" and stop the hostilities, he said.
On the other hand, Qassem assured that Hezbollah is willing to hold “indirect” negotiations with Israel to reach a truce that would put an end to more than a year of war, which has caused the death of more than 2.700 people and the displacement of more than 1,2 million others in Lebanon alone, in addition to the annihilation of a large part of the leadership of the Shiite armed group.
“If the enemy decides (to agree) to a ceasefire, We will say yes, but with conditions. The way will be to hold indirect negotiations to this end,” said the cleric, who in early October - when he was Hezbollah's number two - gave his support to truce talks mediated by the speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih berri.
His remarks come amid intense diplomatic efforts between the United States, Israel and Lebanon to reach a deal to end fighting in southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah has a strong presence.
In this sense, he recalled that Berri, who also leads the Shiite group Amal, an ally of Hezbollahit's “the pillar of negotiations”, although he regretted that "there is still no clear project that has been agreed upon" to end the hostilities.
Berri, who has been the Speaker of Parliament for three decades, is a crucial figure which serves as a communication channel between the group and the rest of the Lebanese political spectrum.
“We have always said that we do not want war, but we are ready if it is imposed on us and we will do it firmly and we will win, God willing,” insisted Qassem, who said that Hezbollah’s only objective “is to protect Lebanon” and “support Palestine.”
Who is Naim Qassem
qassem, who served as Hezbollah's deputy secretary general for more than 30 years, was confirmed as head of the terrorist group on Tuesday, ending speculation about who would succeed Nasrallah following his death in a bombing carried out in late September by the Israeli army against the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
Qassem, 71, was born in Beirut and was one of the founders of Hezbollah in the mid-1982s, in the context of the invasion launched by Israel in XNUMX. Previously, he had graduated in Chemistry from the Lebanese University and had studied theology with Ayatollah Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah.
Subsequently, Qassem entered politics within the AMAL Movement and was integrated into Hezbollah's organizational chart at the height of the Israeli invasion, quickly becoming an influential figure within the group. In 1991 he was appointed 'number two' to the then leader of Hezbollah, Abbas al-Musawi, who was later replaced by Nasrallah, who established himself as the most recognizable figure in Hezbollah for three decades before being killed.
In this context, the Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, He issued a warning to Qassem, suggesting that his leadership could be short-lived. “Temporary appointment. Not for long.”, Dijo. “The countdown has begun”.
This individual is calling for a ceasefire, but it is not because they can continue the war, it is because Israel has hit him so hard and attacked the leaders so accurately that he is afraid that they will also send him to hell and, as a consequence, the terrorist group Hezbollah will disappear.