The Newly-appointed Secretary-General of Lebanon’s Hezbollah has made his first statements since taking up the group’s command following the killing of Hassan Nasrallah.

 

Qassem honored the memory of Hashem Safieddine, who was projected to succeed Nasrallah, but was killed in an “Israeli” airstrike.

 

The new Secretary-General paid his respects for the late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who he described as a “symbol of heroism for Palestine and the free people of the world; he resisted until his last breath.”

 

"Our martyred leader Sayyed Hashem Safieddine was one of those whom our martyred leader Hassan Nasrallah relied upon. We have lost him, but he has won,” he added.

 

Qassem: "We face many sacrifices ahead, but we are confident that victory will be ours."

 

Qassem extended his thanks to the Hezbollah Shura council for confirming him as Secretary-General.

 

He said that his “work agenda” is a continuation of the “path of our late Secretary-General, the martyr Hassan Nasrallah.”

 

Qassem: "We will remain on the path of war within the outlined developments."

 

Qassem: "Our resistance exists to liberate the land and confront the occupation and its expansionist intentions."

 

"The Israeli enemy has been attacking Lebanon daily since 2006,” Qassem said, affirming that “It was the resistance, not international resolutions, that drove Israel out of Lebanon."

 

Qassem: "Some believe Israel was provoked—does Israel need an excuse? Have we forgotten 75 years of killing Palestinians, displacing them, stealing land and holy sites, and committing massacres?"

 

Qassem: "Our resistance exists to confront the occupation, its expansionist aims, and to liberate the land."

 

Qassem: "Israel does not need a pretext to launch its aggression; history bears witness to this."

 

Qassem: "We are capable of dismantling the 'Israeli' project."

 

Qassem: "This is an Israeli-American-European war aimed at eradicating the resistance."

 

Qassem: "The Zionist aggression toward Lebanon was evident, and we cannot stand silent."

 

Qassem: "We are not fighting on behalf of anyone; we are fighting for our cause—to protect Lebanon and support Palestine."

 

Qassem: "The resistance stands in honor of Imam Khomeini's vision to eliminate 'Israel' from existence."

 

Qassem: "Iran supports our cause and asks for nothing in return; our convictions are aligned."

 

Qassem: "Hezbollah has recovered from the blow it sustained in the pager and communication device explosions."

 

Qassem: "Hezbollah has regained its strength and has the capacity to endure and defend Lebanon."