Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem responded Saturday to Israel’s airstrike on the Dahieh district of Beirut—a Hezbollah stronghold—for the first time since the two sides agreed on a ceasefire, accusing Jerusalem of violating the agreement and warning that continued provocations could lead to renewed conflict.
“Israel has breached the ceasefire agreement. It carried out strikes in Dahieh and other areas in southern Lebanon. People were killed and injured. We will not accept this,” Qassem said in a speech.
Despite the strong language, Qassem stopped short of announcing direct retaliation and said Lebanon remains responsible for addressing Israeli actions through diplomatic channels.
However, he warned that “if Israel does not comply with the conditions and the government fails to achieve the desired outcome, we will have no choice but to consider other options.”
Qassem rejected any normalization with Israel and emphasized that Hezbollah would not tolerate an arrangement allowing Israel to operate freely in Lebanon. “Israel must withdraw unconditionally,” he said, adding that Lebanon’s reconstruction should proceed without preconditions.
“Israel will not get what it wants through pressure, whether by occupying the five disputed areas or through repeated strikes. We will not allow anyone to rob us of our lives, our land, our pride, our dignity and our national identity.”
IDF strikes Hezbollah drone storage facility in Beirut't Dahieh district in response to rocket fire toward northern Israel
(Video: Reuters)
Qassem’s comments were delivered during a speech marking Iran’s Quds Day, which had been postponed from Friday due to the Israeli strike in Dahieh.
He also addressed domestic Lebanese issues and regional tensions along the Syria-Lebanon border, denying Hezbollah’s involvement in recent clashes there. “We are partners in rebuilding the state,” he said. “Lebanon will rise with all its people. As for recent events on the Syrian border and inside Syria, Hezbollah has no connection to them.”
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His remarks followed an Israeli airstrike on Friday that targeted a building in Dahieh. The IDF said the site was used to store drones by Hezbollah’s Unit 127, which is responsible for the group’s aerial operations.
Ahead of the strike, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, issued evacuation warnings to residents, prompting panic in the area. Dramatic footage showed the building collapsing as missiles struck in sequence.
The United States voiced support for Israel’s actions. Morgan Ortagus, deputy to U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, said, “The ceasefire was violated by Lebanon. The Lebanese government must rein in terrorist groups launching rockets.”