Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, Naim Qassem, in his first televised speech since the outbreak of the war three days ago, said that Israel started the war, asking: “Do you really think a limited rocket salvo is worth a war?” He emphasized that the rocket launches were a response to what he called ongoing Israeli violations.

Qassem stressed that “our patience has limits and the enemy’s transgressions have become great,” adding that Israel seeks to expand and impose political decisions on Lebanon, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statements about a “Greater Israel.”

He confirmed that the rocket launches toward Israel were a response to 15 months of violations, noting that statistics cited by the United Nations and the Lebanese army point to more than 10,000 Israeli breaches during the past period.

He also announced that around 500 Hezbollah members have been killed since the ceasefire agreement began, accusing Israel of bulldozing homes and lands in border villages and displacing residents from more than 85 towns and villages in the south.

On domestic affairs, Qassem criticized the Lebanese government’s decisions to restrict weapons, describing them as “a sin that legitimized aggression and weakened Lebanon’s strength,” and stressed that the main problem is not weapons or resistance, but occupation.

He added that the party will not evaluate the state’s performance at this stage, but emphasized that everyone has a duty to work to stop the aggression, warning that the continuation of the war could lead to Lebanon losing its sovereignty.

He continued: “The state must defend us,” stressing: “Resistance and weapons remain.”

Addressing the displaced, he said: “They displaced you to create a rift between us and you.”