The Secretary General of Hezbollah, Sheikh Naim Qassem, announced in a speech delivered on the occasion of Ashura on Friday that the party has “broken the Israeli-American project and entered a new phase.”

He said: “Israel is present in Lebanon not because of rockets, but because it wants to take it over and occupy it,” stressing that “it has no choice but to fully withdraw from every inch of Lebanese territory and stop the aggression.”

Supporters of Hezbollah on the occasion of the Ashura. (Hossam Shbaro)

He stressed that “Israel must leave unconditionally,” adding that “the threshold of sovereignty can be achieved by remaining within the framework of the results of the 27 November 2024 agreement.”

He also noted that “the Lebanese authorities cannot be hostile to half of the Lebanese people,” considering that “the country is governed by its components, not by its stances.”

He further stated that “the political leadership must reconsider its course in uniting words, ranks, and positions in confronting the Israeli enemy and stop implementing its dictates.”

Qassem also considered that Iran had “managed to endure and reach a memorandum of understanding that is considered an official declaration of the defeat of the United States and Israel.”

He affirmed that “cooperation with Iran during the war helped break the joint project,” saying that “the axis of resistance acted as a single unit instead of isolation and division.”

The Secretary General of Hezbollah stressed that there is “no choice for Israel except full withdrawal from every inch of Lebanese territory and stopping the aggression,” considering that any settlement “must be based on full Lebanese sovereignty without normalization or concession.”

He called on the Lebanese authorities to “not be hostile to more than half of the Lebanese people,” stressing that “the country is governed by its components, not by its stances,” and urging a review of “domestic policies, including national unity, addressing the economic situation, and reconstruction.”

He also spoke about the need to “benefit from international and regional understandings in a way that serves Lebanon’s sovereignty,” calling for support for the Lebanese state and army without “imposing conditions that infringe on sovereignty or facilitate Israeli interests.”

He concluded by paying tribute to Gaza and Palestine, considering that “the Palestinian cause will remain the guiding principle until liberation.”