Hezbollah’s leader Naim Qassem declared on Friday that the terror group has the right to respond to Israel’s elimination of its top military chief, Haytham Ali Tabtabai, in a strike in Beirut this week.
In a televised speech, Qassem called the killing “a blatant aggression and a heinous crime,” stressing, “We have the right to respond, and we will determine the timing for that.”
Qassem urged Lebanon’s government to prepare for war with Israel, describing the elimination of Tabtabai as a grave provocation. Tabtabai had been appointed Hezbollah’s chief of staff following the group’s war with Israel.
The Hezbollah leader accused the United States and Arab states of organizing infiltrations against the group, claiming, “The enemy did everything in its power to end the resistance, but it failed. It faced a humble group that was able to confront the tyrannical Israeli-American aggression.”
Qassem also addressed the upcoming visit of the Pope to Lebanon, saying, “We welcome the Pope’s visit to Lebanon, and we have tasked members of the Political Council with visiting the Papal Embassy and fulfilling our duty. We hope that his visit will contribute to establishing peace and ending the aggression.”
He praised Hezbollah’s resilience during recent fighting, declaring the ceasefire a victory: “The ceasefire is a day of victory for the resistance, Hezbollah, the people, and Lebanon, because we succeeded in preventing the enemy from achieving its goals, foremost among them ending and eliminating the resistance, and this has not been achieved. This in itself is a victory.”
Qassem added that the agreement marked a new phase in which the Lebanese state must assume responsibility for expelling the “occupation” and deploying the army. He credited Hezbollah’s steadfastness, the sacrifices of its fighters, and the support of the Amal Movement and Lebanese army: “We are strong because of the blood of our martyrs, our attachment to our land, our honorable families, and our patriotism.”
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)