Qassem says Israel must 'unconditionally' leave Lebanon
Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem on Friday said Israel has "no option" but to unconditionally withdraw from Lebanese areas it occupies, and he rejected any normalization in ties between Lebanon and Israel.
"Israel has no option but to withdraw completely from every inch of our Lebanese land... Israel must leave unconditionally," he said in a televised address to tens of thousands of supporters marking Ashoura.
As Lebanese and Israeli officials hold direct talks in Washington, Qassem said his group would accept "no normalization, no cancellation of the state of hostility, no gains for Israel, and no partial presence on Lebanese soil... Israel must leave humiliated and defeated, and that is what will happen."
Qassem also said that the U.S.-Iran deal signed last week was a declaration of defeat by Israel and America, after the agreement also reduced fighting between his group and Israel.
"They wanted a major war... to eliminate our existence," Qassem said.
"We were able to stop this aggression and achieve a great victory... We have shattered the Israeli-American project and entered a new phase," he added.
Iran "was able to reach the memorandum of understanding, which is an official declaration of the defeat of America and Israel," Qassem boasted.
"Thank you Iran and we will remain with you. We want you by our side, and we want to be united with you, because it has become clear that your strength, combined with the strength of the resistance fighters on the ground, breaks Israel's power and forces it out of our land," he said.
Addressing Lebanese authorities, Qassem warned that "any commitment against Lebanon's sovereignty shall not pass."
"Sovereignty's ceiling lies in the November 2024 agreement based on the principle of (removing weapons from) South Litani exclusively," Qassem added.
"The resistance is continuing with its presence and capabilities and it is the pillar of Lebanon's independence," he said.
Addressing Lebanese authorities, he added: "The resistance is strong and we will be with you if you walk on the path of Lebanon's sovereignty."
"Lebanese authorities cannot antagonize half of the Lebanese people and the country is about its components not state posts," Qassem cautioned.
He noted that "Israel is in Lebanon not because of the rockets, but rather because it wants to swallow and occupy Lebanon."
Source: Agence France Presse, Naharnet
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://prod.naharnet.com/stories/en/320943 |