Hezbollah leader claims right to self-defense, warns Israel to stop attacks in southern Lebanon

Against the backdrop of IDF strikes in Lebanon, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem issued an implicit threat to Israel this Saturday: “The aggression against Lebanon cannot continue. We have the right to defend ourselves.” Qassem made the remarks in a recorded speech broadcast on Iranian media, urging the countries guaranteeing the agreement to demand that Israel cease its fire.

Qassem reiterated the terrorist organization’s refusal to disarm, claiming the weapons are intended to protect the Lebanese people. “We will not surrender; we will not accept the continuation of attacks on the country without doing anything – everything has a limit,” he said.

The comments come days after Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji argued that as long as Hezbollah’s weapons are not dismantled once and for all, Israel has the right to continue striking in the country. Qassem attacked him, saying, “He is inciting hatred against part of the Lebanese people. He is a foreign minister acting contrary to the directives he is supposed to follow.”

Qassem also addressed protests in Iran amid threats of U.S.-Israeli intervention. According to the Hezbollah leader, U.S. President Donald Trump wants to intervene in all parts of the world and “halt democratic, Islamic, and free life” in order to seize money and oil. Echoing remarks made earlier today by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Qassem accused Mossad agents and American operatives of killing protesters in Iran.

“They are trying to punish the Islamic Republic and weaken it – all to achieve the goal that Trump and Netanyahu have set for themselves: to destroy the Islamic Republic from within,” Qassem said.