The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group said on Friday that its fighters will not disarm as long as Israeli troops remain in southern Lebanon and the Israeli air force regularly violates Lebanese air space.
Naim Qassem addressed supporters in a speech broadcast on Hezbollah’s television station. Qassem took over Hezbollah after Israeli airstrikes killed longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, his successor Hashem Safieddine and other top Hezbollah figures last year.
Qassem said Hezbollah had implemented its commitments related to the US-brokered ceasefire that halted the fighting in Hezbollah’s latest, 14-month war with Israel.
Since the ceasefire went into effect in late November, Israeli airstrikes have killed scores of people in Lebanon including civilians and Hezbollah members. Israel says it’s targeting Hezbollah holdouts in southern Lebanon.
On Tuesday, the office of the UN high commissioner for human rights said that at least 71 civilians, including 14 women and nine children, have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon since the ceasefire took effect.
Hezbollah launched its own attacks on Israel a day after Israel launched its latest war on Gaza in October 2023, saying it was doing so to ease the pressure on Gaza by keeping part of the Israeli military busy along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon.
In 14 months Israel killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon and caused destruction that will take $11 billion to rebuild, according to the World Bank.
As part of the ceasefire, Hezbollah was to pull out from parts of southern Lebanon and give up its military positions and weapons south of the Litani River while Israeli forces were to pull back into Israel. The Lebanese army was to take over Hezbollah's positions and guarantee security in the south, along with the U.N. peacekeeping mission.
Israel withdrew much of its troops from southern Lebanon in February but kept five posts inside Lebanese territory, in violation of the ceasefire deal.
Last week, deputy US Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus visited Beirut and called on the Lebanese state to assert its control all over Lebanon — and not only in the south along the border with Israel south of the Litani River.
“We will not allow anyone to remove Hezbollah’s weapons,” Qassem said. “These weapons gave life and freedom to our people."
Qassem spoke hours after two separate Israeli drones killed two people in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military said it killed two Hezbollah members in the strikes.
“Does anyone expect us to discuss a national defense strategy as warplanes fly over our heads and there is occupation in south Lebanon,” Qassem asked. “These are not discussions. This is surrender. Let Israel withdraw first and stop its flights in the air.”