Hezbollah chief says missiles will fall on Israel if it resumes war on Lebanon
His comments came as Lebanon's cabinet met to discuss the fate of Hezbollah's arsenal, after Washington pressured Lebanese officials to commit to disarming the Iran-backed group and amid fears that Israel could intensify strikes if they fail to do so.
Qassem said that, should Israel engage in a "large-scale aggression" against Lebanon, Hezbollah, Lebanon's army and Lebanon's people would defend themselves.
"This defence will lead to missiles falling inside the Israeli entity, and all the security they have built over eight months will collapse within an hour," he said.
A U.S.-brokered ceasefire in November brought an end to months of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. The war killed much of Hezbollah's leadership - including Qassem's predecessor Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah - and destroyed much of its arsenal.
Qassem said the war had killed 5,000 Hezbollah fighters and wounded 13,000, the first official toll the group has given. But he said the organisation remained in good order, with fighters ready to make "the harshest sacrifices" if needed.
Minutes after he spoke, dozens of men on motorcycles carrying Hezbollah's yellow flags emerged from its strongholds in Beirut's southern suburbs for the second day in a row.
Washington and Beirut have been in talks since June on a U.S. roadmap to fully disarm Hezbollah in exchange for a halt to Israeli strikes, the withdrawal of Israeli troops still occupying five points in south Lebanon and funds to rebuild areas destroyed by Israeli bombardment during the war.
But with little progress on disarmament, Washington's patience began wearing thin and it pressured Lebanon's ministers to swiftly make a public pledge so that talks could continue.
Qassem pushed back against the conditions, saying Israel must implement the ceasefire in full by halting its military activities in Lebanon before any other discussion.
"Solve the problem of the (Israeli) aggression, and then we will discuss the issue of the weapons," he said.
Addressing Lebanese officials, he said: "I hope you don't waste time on the storms stirred up by external dictates."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
a minute ago
- Reuters
EU assessment finds significant obstructive factors undermine humanitarian operations in Gaza
BRUSSELS, Aug 7 (Reuters) - The humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to be very severe, an EU official told Reuters after the EU's foreign policy and humanitarian arms updated member countries late on Wednesday on the status of an agreement reached with Israel last month on boosting humanitarian access to Gaza. The official said on Thursday that there were some positive developments regarding fuel delivery, the reopening of some routes, and an upward trend in the number of daily trucks entering the enclave and the repair of some vital infrastructure. However, the official added that "significant obstructive factors continue to undermine humanitarian operations and aid delivery to Gaza, notably the lack of a safe operating environment to allow the distribution of aid at scale."
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Assault on Sudan's Zamzam refugee camp may have killed more than 1,500 civilians
More than 1,500 civilians may have been massacred during an attack on Sudan's largest displacement camp in April, in what would be the second-biggest war crime of the country's catastrophic conflict. A Guardian investigation into the 72-hour attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on North Darfur's Zamzam camp, the country's largest for people displaced by the war, found repeated testimony of mass executions and large-scale abductions. Hundreds of civilians remain unaccounted for. The magnitude of likely casualties means the assault by the RSF ranks only behind a similar ethnic slaughter in West Darfur two years ago. The war between the Arab-led RSF and Sudanese military, which broke out in April 2023, has been characterised by repeated atrocities, forcing millions from their homes and causing the world's largest humanitarian crisis. Until now, reports about the attack on Zamzam between 11 and 14 April had indicated that up to 400 non-Arab civilians were killed during the three-day assault. The UN has said 'hundreds' died. However, a committee set up to investigate the death toll has so far 'counted' more than 1,500 killed in the attack, which occurred on the eve of a British government-led conference in London intended to bring peace to Sudan. Mohammed Sharif, part of the committee from Zamzam's former administration, said the final total would be significantly higher, with many bodies still not recovered from the camp, which is now controlled by the RSF. 'Their bodies are lying inside homes, in the fields, on roads,' Sharif told the Guardian. An atrocity expert with decades of experience in Darfur, who has interviewed scores of survivors from Zamzam, believes up to 2,000 people may have been killed. Speaking on condition of anonymity, they added that the levels of violence were striking even when viewed alongside the genocidal slaughter of ethnic African groups in Darfur during the 2000s by the Arab militias who would later become the RSF. 'Every single testimony from everyone who escaped knew family members who were killed. That's something I've never seen before.' Abdallah Abugarda, of the UK's Darfur Diaspora Association, said that about 4,500 members of his organisation knew a friend or relative killed in the attack. At least 2,000 Zamzam residents, he said, remain missing. 'The massacre at Zamzam, home to displaced people for over 20 years, is one of the most heinous crimes in recent global history. Yet no global outrage has followed,' added Abugarda. Claire Nicolet, deputy head of emergencies for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), said the attack had targeted 'one of the most vulnerable people on earth'. Those who survived, she said, had faced 'widespread looting, sexual violence and other attacks while on the road and appalling living conditions in transit displacement sites'. Large numbers of women were abducted and remain missing. Sharif said they knew of more than 20 who had been taken to Nyala, an RSF stronghold 160km from Zamzam. Last month, the International Criminal Court said it had 'reasonable grounds' to conclude that war crimes and crimes against humanity were unfolding in Darfur. In Geneina, West Darfur's capital, more than 10,000 people – mainly Masalit and other non-Arab Sudanese – are believed to have been killed by the RSF and allied militias over two months from mid-April 2023. An episode of fighting during November that year in a suburb of El Geneina killed more than 800, according to the UN. The Sudanese military has also been accused of myriad war crimes, in particular the massacre of civilians in indiscriminate bombing raids.
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Israeli military chiefs 'are clashing over civilian killings in Gaza'
Israeli military chiefs fell out in an explosive shouting match over the sheer number of Palestinians killed by IDF airstrikes, according to local media. Major General Yaniv Asor, head of the army's southern command, is said to have complained to the air force that it was consistently overruling bombing requests for targets in Gaza, which has already been decimated since Israel began its siege of the enclave. In response, Major General Tomer Bar, the head of Israel's air force, said that many of requests made by Asor's subordinates were killing civilians and showed a 'lack of professionalism.' Local media reported that the argument only spiralled from there, resulting in the senior military figures screaming at each other in front of top officers. The spat required Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, chief of staff at the IDF to intervene, witnesses said. The argument reflects a deep division within Benjamin Netanyahu 's government over what the future, vis-a-vis Gaza, ought to look like. Earlier this week, Netanyahu told the military to prepare for a full takeover of the Gaza Strip, including areas where hostages are being held. A source in the Prime Minister's Office told The Jerusalem Post on Monday that the message had been passed on to IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir saying: 'If this does not suit you, then you should resign.' Israeli soldiers walking next to damaged buildings as smoke billows during a military operation in the north of the Gaza Strip amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas It comes as Netanyahu prepares to meet with top officials to decide on the next steps in Gaza and what to do about the remaining hostages. An Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post: 'The prime minister is considering all available options regarding the next steps.' Hamas, however, has brushed off talks of an Israeli takeover. The group said: 'Israel's threats are repetitive, worthless, and have no influence on our decisions.' But a political analyst with Channel 12 quoted an unnamed official saying: 'Hamas won't release more hostages without total surrender, and we won't surrender. 'If we don't act now, the hostages will starve to death and Gaza will remain under Hamas's control. ' According to reports, the prime minister used the phrase 'occupation of the Strip' in private conversations while describing his intentions for Gaza. If Netanyahu's plans are successful, the Israeli military could extend its reach across the whole region, according to local reports. It currently holds 75 percent of the Strip. He is now set to take the plans to his cabinet to seek their backing for the plan. In a video message, Netanyahu said he was 'committing to free Gaza from the tyranny of these terrorists'. According to The Times of Israel, the IDF is against the proposal and has said it would take a significant amount of time to clear infrastructure belonging to Hamas.
