Hezbollah Resumes Threatening Tone: Internal Crisis or Pre-War Posturing?

Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem
Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem
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Hezbollah Resumes Threatening Tone: Internal Crisis or Pre-War Posturing?

Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem
Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem

In response to recent developments, Hezbollah officials in Lebanon have reverted to a language of threats and intimidation, alongside disparaging remarks aimed at their critics.

This shift comes amid ongoing conflicts in the south and amidst calls to end the country’s presidential vacuum.

Most notably, Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary-General, Naim Qassem, emphasized the exclusive role of resistance in expelling occupation forces, reclaiming independence, and defending Lebanon.

He dismissed those advocating for peaceful means or utilizing social media for their future, asserting that Hezbollah was on the right path, forging ahead while “others play and amuse themselves in their rooms.”

Former Minister and MP Ashraf Rifi views Hezbollah’s return to a threatening tone as a consequence of its divergent choices from those of most Lebanese.

Ghayath Yazbek of the Lebanese Forces (LF) characterized Hezbollah's leadership as erratic, vacillating between rigidity and accommodation, often delivering harsh or mild messages as circumstances dictate, all without popular or political consensus or state support.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Rifi urged Hezbollah to cease its threats, affirming, “Lebanon is a pluralistic nation; no single entity can dictate its choices.”

He criticized Hezbollah’s alignment with Iranian interests, contrasting it with the desires of Lebanese voices rejecting an Iranian hegemony over Lebanon.

Rifi argues that regardless of any settlements, he rejects Hezbollah’s claim of a divine victory internally. He emphasizes Lebanon’s right to determine its destiny, urging Hezbollah to reconsider its stance.

Rifi also points out that Hezbollah, which once boasted 74 parliament seats, now barely holds 51, indicating a loss of influence that could have enabled them to appoint a president.

On his part, Yazbek criticized Hezbollah’s different approach to assessing gains and losses.

“Victory (to Hezbollah) must be total, or it’s meaningless. What’s the use if the people suffer and Israel is destroyed?” questioned Yazbek.

Moreover, Yazbek emphasizes that the challenges with Hezbollah didn’t start on Oct. 7.

“This conflict has worsened the fundamental divide between a state and a non-state entity. While gunfire may temporarily overshadow this deep crisis, its lasting impact remains, and we’ll face it again post-war, reverting to pre-Oct. 7 conditions,” explained the LF official.

These statements reflect deepening divisions exacerbated by recent conflicts and underscore a broader crisis in governance and national identity. They highlight ongoing tensions over Hezbollah’s militaristic stance and the absence of a unified political and popular mandate.

The discourse continues to evolve, with various Lebanese leaders rejecting Hezbollah’s militarization of national discourse and advocating for inclusive dialogue and adherence to international resolutions aimed at disarming militias.

This push underscores a persistent struggle to define Lebanon’s path forward amidst regional conflicts and internal discord.



Gaza Rescuers Say Seven Killed in Israeli Air Strikes 

21 April 2025, Palestinian Territories, Gaza City: Palestinians hose down hotspots as they clean up the residue of tents destroyed in an Israeli attack on Gaza City. (Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
21 April 2025, Palestinian Territories, Gaza City: Palestinians hose down hotspots as they clean up the residue of tents destroyed in an Israeli attack on Gaza City. (Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
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Gaza Rescuers Say Seven Killed in Israeli Air Strikes 

21 April 2025, Palestinian Territories, Gaza City: Palestinians hose down hotspots as they clean up the residue of tents destroyed in an Israeli attack on Gaza City. (Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
21 April 2025, Palestinian Territories, Gaza City: Palestinians hose down hotspots as they clean up the residue of tents destroyed in an Israeli attack on Gaza City. (Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)

Gaza's civil defense agency said Tuesday that seven people were killed in fresh Israeli air strikes across the Hamas-run territory.

"The occupation launched violent air strikes on Gaza City and the towns of Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, and Khan Younis, killing seven civilians," civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP.

Four people were killed in the Al-Rimal area near Gaza City, two in Al-Sabra west of Gaza City and one in Khan Younis.

"The occupation also destroyed more than 10 homes east of Gaza City and in Rafah," he added.

The Israeli military, which did not immediately comment, has intensified its aerial bombardments and expanded its ground operations in the Gaza Strip since it resumed its offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory on March 18.

Gaza's civil defense agency on Monday accused the Israeli military of carrying out "summary executions" in the killing of 15 rescue workers last month, rejecting the findings of an internal probe by the army.

At least 1,691 people have been killed in Gaza since the military resumed its offensive, bringing the total death toll since the war erupted to at least 51,065, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.

Hamas's attack on Israel that ignited the war resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.