Hezbollah's new leader, Naim Qassem, said on Wednesday that the war against Israel will continue. In a prerecorded speech, his first since being named to head the terror group, Qassem said he will continue in the footsteps of his predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah who was assassinated in an Israeli strike on his bunker in Beirut, in September.
During his speech rockets targeted the Galilee after barrages that began early in the morning and continued throughout the day.
"I thank Hezbollah for giving me this responsibility, which is a heavy load and a sign of trust. The blood of our leader will remain and strengthen our resolve to continue on this path," he said. Qassem said support for Gaza was necessary to deal with the threat Israel poses to the entire region. "Israel does not need an excuse for its aggression," he said. "History has proven that."
He said Hezbollah was not asking for a cease-fire. "If the enemy wants to stop, we will accept terms that are suitable to us. Any solution will be through negotiations," he said.
Qassem threatened Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that the UAV launched by Hezbollah hit his bedroom. “Netanyahu survived this time, but perhaps his time has not yet come,” he said. He added that “perhaps an Israeli will kill him, perhaps during one of his speeches.”
“Our diplomatic contacts confirmed to us that Netanyahu is very afraid because we are targeting him," he also said.
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U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein with acting Lebanon prime minister Najib Mukati
(Photo: Anwar Amro / AFP)
U.S. Mideast envoy Amos Hochstein and Special Presidential Envoy Brett McGurk were scheduled to arrive in the region on Thursday, to advance a cease-fire deal that would end the fighting on the Israeli-Lebanon border.
Hezbollah rockets intercepted over Haifa Bay area
(Speigel media )
The 71-year-old cleric said that Hezbollah was fighting Israel to defend Lebanese territory and not on behave of any foreign influence, alluding to Iran, the group's main benefactor. He said Iran "supports us but doesn't want anything" in return.
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