Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has vowed to continue fighting Israel “until the last breath,” according to a statement broadcast on the group’s Al Manar TV on April 10.
“We did not agree to return to the previous situation, and we call on those in power to end the free compromises. We do not fear the enemy’s threats or weapons, for we are the owners of the land,” Qassem added, accusing Israel of launching new attacks despite a previous November 2024 ceasefire with the group, CNN reports.
The remarks come amid renewed escalation between Israel and Hezbollah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on April 9 that there would be no ceasefire in Lebanon, while also signaling openness to direct negotiations with Beirut.
Regional tensions have also drawn in Iranian officials, with Tehran stating it will not accept continued attacks in Lebanon. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has called for an end to “massacres in Lebanon,” while other Iranian officials have warned that the strikes constitute a violation of the truce.
On April 8, the Israeli military said it had killed Ali Yusuf Harshi, a nephew and personal secretary to Qassem, in an airstrike near Beirut. The strike was part of what Israel described as its largest coordinated wave of attacks on Hezbollah targets since the start of the conflict.
By Sabina Mammadli
