Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem’s second speech since taking over as acting leader of the Iran-backed group was significant for attempting to lift the morale of fighters and pave the way for a ceasefire after he implicitly abandoned the “unity of arenas” which ties Hezbollah attacks against Israel to a ceasefire in Gaza.
Qassem is acting head of Hezbollah after the assassination of Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs last month.
Moreover, Qassem implicitly handed over political decision making in Lebanon to Hezbollah ally and other half of the so-called “Shiite duo”, parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
Qassem compared Berri to a “big brother” who cannot be ignored by anyone. He confirmed that Hezbollah supports Berri’s political efforts to reach a solution.
Qassem’s speech demonstrated that Hezbollah now prioritizes ending the war, while avoiding mentioning tying the fighting in Lebanon to Gaza.
Sami Nader, director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs, said Qassem tried to show that Hezbollah and Berri’s Amal movement shared the same positions.
This is significant after the Iranian foreign minister’s visit to Beirut last week during which he continued to tie the Lebanese front to Gaza, effectively obstructing Berri’s ceasefire efforts, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Qassem attempted to remedy the situation by speaking at length about the relationship between Hezbollah and Berri, while focusing little on ties with Iran, he noted.
A positive takeaway from the speech was Qassem abandoning the “unity of arenas” between Lebanon and Gaza, Nader remarked. One negative was his tying of the election of a president to the end of the conflict, rather than the constitution.
Nader explained that Qassem was still holding on to the election of a president as a means to exert political pressure.
Qassem said there can be no discussions over any issue before a ceasefire is reached.
His statement dashed demands that Hezbollah would not tie the elections to a ceasefire. The US had called for the immediate election of a president.
Lebanon has been without a head of state since President Michel Aoun’s term ended in October 2022. Bickering between political blocs has thwarted the election of a successor.
Iran’s influence
Retired General Yaroub Sakr said Qassem tasked Berri with reaching a ceasefire but with conditions, such as ending the fighting, while ignoring the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1701 and the election of the president.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Sakr criticized Qassem for claiming that the war wasn’t about Iran’s influence, but about liberating Palestine.
“The reality is actually the opposite. Had the war been about the liberation of Palestine, everyone would have jumped aboard to support it. The truth is, however, that the goal is for Iran to become the main decision-maker in the Middle East as demonstrated in how Tehran did not join Hamas in the war that erupted on October 7, 2023,” Skar went on to say.
Furthermore, Qassem said Hezbollah’s military capabilities were still “good” and the party leadership continued to operate. Sakr noted that Qassem did not address the fate of the party’s presumed new leader, Hashem Safieddine, who Israel targeted in a strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Thursday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday that Safieddine and his successors were killed in the attack.
Lifting morale
Qassem delivered his speech on the one-year anniversary of Hezbollah launching its “support front” with its Palestinian ally Hamas. The party started attacking Israel in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza.
It did not consult the government about carrying out the attacks, and last week, Israel intensified its strikes against the party, turning the border clashes into war against Lebanon.
Israel has mainly struck Hezbollah strongholds in the country’s south and east and Beirut’s southern suburbs, leading to the displacement of 1.2 million people.
The Israeli army has succeeded in assassinating Hezbollah top command, including longtime leader Nasrallah.
The heavy blows have left Hezbollah in disarray. Qassem attempted to deflect from the situation by assuring the party’s supporters that the “resistance is cohesive”.
To the displaced, he said: “You have seen our mighty achievements. We will persevere and be victorious. Your displacement is akin to the price that the resistance is paying.”
Sakr dismissed Qassem’s statements as “arrogance and detached from reality.”
“Qassem tried to lift the morale of its supporters which has taken a shock after the heavy blows Israel dealt to its political, command and military leaderships,” he noted.
Nasrallah’s assassination was the greatest shock and the party has yet to name a successor, he added.
Nader echoed Sakr’s remarks, saying Qassem tried to raise morale amid the unease among Hezbollah supporters.
He attempted to demonstrate that the party was still capable and ready for all blows despite Israel’s obvious military superiority.
Qassem also focused on Hezbollah’s military strength on the ground, something that Nasrallah had often spoken about, and this is indeed a position in the party’s favor against Israel, he noted.
