The Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sheikh Naim Qassem, raised the ceiling of the political confrontation with the Lebanese government to an unprecedented level, accusing the authority of following the “American-Israeli project” against the resistance, and warning that the pressures related to the issue of “weapon exclusivity” and targeting the party’s environment may push the country into a dangerous stage of internal division.
In a long speech he delivered on the occasion of “Resistance and Liberation Day,” Qassem recalled the path of resistance since the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1978 up to liberation on May 25, 2000, considering that “resistance is the origin” and that liberation was the result of integration between the resistance, the army, the people, and the supportive state at the time, praising the roles of Imam Musa al-Sadr, Imam Khomeini, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Presidents Emile Lahoud, Nabih Berri, and the late President. Salim Al-Hoss.
He stressed that the liberation of the south in 2000 constituted “the first Arab liberation without an agreement with Israel,” considering that what was achieved was the result of “strikes directed by the resistance,” not the result of negotiations or political settlements. He also stressed that Israel was seeking to turn southern Lebanon into a zone of permanent occupation and Israeli settlements.
Qassem moved to the current situation, stopping at the cessation of hostilities agreement signed on November 27, 2024, considering that the Lebanese state and the resistance adhered to it, while Israel did not adhere to any clause, despite the passage of months of attacks, assassinations, and continuous bombing.
In one of his most violent political messages, Qassem said that the Lebanese government was using the excuse of impotence before the United States and Israel, but was exerting internal pressure on the resistance, adding: “Do not tell us that you are powerless, tell America that you are powerless.” He accused the authority of continuing to implement “American-Israeli orders” by focusing on the issue of “weapon exclusivity” instead of confronting the ongoing Israeli attacks.
He considered that talking about disarming the resistance is not a sovereign or internal discussion, but rather an “Israeli project” aimed at removing Lebanon’s defensive capacity, saying clearly: “Disarmament means annihilation.” He added that the resistance considers itself and its people to be facing a “real existential threat,” and that any attempt to disarm it means opening the door to occupation, killing, and displacement.
He went further when he accused the authority of asking the resistance “to help it disarm it so that Israel can enter Lebanon and kill its people,” asking: “Is there a sane person who would do that? And is there someone who has national honor who would accept it?”
He also accused the government of submitting to American tutelage, saying that the United States “manages the joints of the Lebanese state,” supervises some appointments, and controls political decisions, considering that Lebanon is living in a state of “trusteeship” and not actual sovereignty. He added that if the government is unable to protect sovereignty, restore deposits, and achieve reforms, “then it should leave.”
In a strongly worded stance, Qassem warned that any authority that serves the Israeli project “violates the Lebanese Constitution” and exposes itself to legal accountability, stressing that the state’s job is to protect its people, not to stand against them.
The Secretary-General of Hezbollah presented what he described as the “four premises” from which the party is starting at this stage, which are: considering Israel an expansionist enemy, the necessity of uniting the Lebanese to confront the aggression, preventing internal strife, and working to implement five basic points that include stopping the Israeli aggression, Israel’s complete withdrawal, the deployment of the Lebanese army, the return of prisoners and families, and reconstruction, before any discussion about the defense strategy.
Qassem also announced seven practical points that the party will work on during the next stage, the most prominent of which is the continuation of the resistance by defending “the land, the people, and the honor,” and keeping weapons in the hands of the resistance until the Lebanese state carries out its duties within a clear and applicable defense strategy.
He stressed that the party will confront “everyone it confronts with Israel as it confronts Israel,” considering that what is happening in southern Lebanon today is evidence of the failure of the Israeli project, and that the continuation of confrontations and military operations against the Israeli army confirms that Israel “has not achieved its goals.”
He spoke at length about the military operations in the south, referring to the killing and wounding of a number of Israeli officers and soldiers, and the operations carried out by the resistance since March 2026, considering that Israel is living in a state of field confusion and that the northern settlements are living in an unstable security situation. He went so far as to say that what is happening today in the south is “the beginning of the demise of Israel.”
He also launched a direct attack on the “arms exclusivity” project, calling on the government to “get out of this Israeli project,” stressing that any discussion of this file cannot take place before stopping the Israeli aggression and implementing obligations related to Lebanese sovereignty.
Regarding the negotiation file, Qasim categorically rejected any direct negotiations with Israel, considering that previous experiences, especially the May 17 agreement, had proven the failure of this path. He called on the Lebanese state to adopt indirect negotiation and return to “internal national understanding.”
He also gave direct advice to the government to stop making concessions to the United States, saying that Washington wants political control over Lebanon, and that it is using pressure and sanctions to achieve Israel’s goals. He criticized the US sanctions that affected Hezbollah representatives, figures from the Amal Movement, and Lebanese officers, considering them part of a political pressure project on Lebanon.
In a related context, Qasim devoted a large portion of his speech to the “Al-Qard Al-Hassan” file, considering that its targeting is a direct targeting of the poor and those with limited income, and stressing that the institution is carrying out social work that has nothing to do with banking or financing the party. He accused the United States and Israel of trying to strike social institutions affiliated with the resistance environment, warning that people might “take to the streets and topple the government” if these policies continue.
He also stressed that what is happening in Lebanon “is not a war of others” but rather a “war of existence,” calling on the Lebanese to benefit from the power of the resistance to liberate Lebanon and protect its sovereignty instead of entering into internal conflicts.
On the regional front, he affirmed Hezbollah’s continued support for Gaza, considering that Palestine will remain the “compass,” and attacked the international community and Arab countries because of what he described as silence regarding the war in the Strip. He also praised Iran and its leadership, considering that it is confronting the United States and Israel on behalf of the “free world,” and that it will emerge “stronger and more internationally present.”
Qasim concluded his speech by attacking the Bahraini authorities because of the arrest of clerics and scholars, considering that what is happening there reflects “the fall of this authority,” stressing that “Hezbollah” will remain in the “line of resistance, liberation and dignity.”
