Sheikh Qassem: Hezbollah fully committed to ceasefire despite Israeli violations
The Hezbollah secretary general says the Lebanese resistance movement is fully committed to the November 27 ceasefire agreement with Israel, although the Tel Aviv regime frequently violates the deal.
“No violations of the ceasefire agreement have been recorded against us, whilst the Israeli side has infringed upon it more than 3,000 times,” Sheikh Naim Qassem said in a televised speech broadcast from the Lebanese capital Beirut on Monday evening.
He called on the Lebanese government to act promptly, stressing that responsibility rests with state officials to follow up on the ceasefire agreement implementation by urging the United States and France, as guarantors of the cessation of hostilities agreement, to compel Israel to immediately cease its attacks.
He pointed to the ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon, stating that the latest aerial attack on a building in the southern suburbs of Beirut was carried out with the US green light and support.
“The United States has interests in Lebanon. It must realize that its interests cannot be spared once Lebanon’s stability is in jeopardy,” Sheikh Qassem said.
The Hezbollah leader also said Washington has been providing the occupying Tel Aviv regime with pretexts for more acts of aggression against the Arab country.
He called on the Lebanese government to send a letter to the United Nations, summon the US Ambassador to Beirut Lisa Johnson, and use every single forum to shed light on the repercussions of Israeli assaults on Lebanon.
Israel seeks to weaken Lebanon through continued aggression, occupation, and political pressure, Sheikh Qassem said, stressing that Lebanon’s strength is rooted in its resistance front, armed forces and nation.
“Israel wants to dominate Lebanon, construct settlements within its territory, and weaken it. Whoever does not believe in such a fact should explain why Israeli troops remained in Lebanon for 18 years and only withdrew in the face of struggle by resistance fighters,” the Hezbollah chief said.
He stressed that Lebanon will remain strong through unity among its resistance front, army and different walks of the society, stating that the Lebanese people will not abandon their duty to expand defense capabilities.
Sheikh Qassem then urged the Lebanese nation not to lose hope since Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is caught in a very dire situation, as he has shed the blood of many people without achieving any of his objectives.
He then outlined the three main priorities for Lebanon at this critical juncture, saying, “The first priority is to stop the Israeli aggression, ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, and secure the release of prisoners.”
He also criticized procrastination regarding national reconstruction efforts, saying, “The second priority is reconstruction. The government’s plans for reconstruction have been seriously delayed.”
Sheikh Qassem highlighted that Hezbollah is offering assistance to internally displaced persons in Lebanon, sheltering 50,755 individuals whose homes were completely destroyed in the wake of Israeli offensives, and has repaired 332,000 residential buildings.
He stressed, “The third priority is state-building. Our main task is to follow the path towards the consolidation, stabilization and sustainable development of the country.”
Turning to the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza, Sheikh Qassem praised the steadfastness of Palestinians, saying, “Your legendary steadfastness prevents the Zionist enemy from achieving its goals. This resilience is a prelude to victory.”
He also extended his deep condolences to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei as well as the Iranian government and nation over the tragic explosion that occurred in the country’s southwestern port city of Bandar Abbas on Saturday and killed at least 70 people and injured more than 1,000 others.
The Hezbollah chief offered his sincere commiserations to Christians worldwide on the demise of Pope Francis.
