There wasn’t a hint of political rationality in Hezbollah deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem’s third televised speech since September 27. Indeed, it was an awkward attempt at promoting the idea that the party is still capable of waging this confrontation as it insists on keeping Lebanon trapped in a war it cannot endure.
It is also an extension of past mistakes dating back to the era of Saddam Hussein, with statements like: "Without America, Israel would not be able to do what it is doing now." Thus, the party will eventually end up repeating what Hassan Nasrallah had said during the 2006 war: "Anyone who loves Lebanon should stop this war!"
Qassem is doubling down at a time when Lebanon is on the brink of a displacement catastrophe. Sectarian conflict is a real fear amid the influx of displaced persons into residential areas controlled by other sects, with leaflets warning residents to familiarize themselves with their new neighbors being distributed in some regions.
According to a report published by Reuters yesterday, some landlords refuse to shelter displaced persons, while others “sent their tenants notices urging them to ‘KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS’” and limit visits “to preserve everyone’s safety."
The report adds that the mass displacement has heightened tensions and “brought back unwelcome memories of state breakdown and mass squatting that took place during Lebanon’s civil war.”
Despite this state of affairs in Lebanon today, Qassem is making threats from his hideout, thanking Iran, which is apprehensively awaiting Israel’s retaliation, and doubling down on propaganda, insisting that the party has regained its strength. He then adds that the support of the Amal Movement empowers the party after having called Nabih Berri an older brother.
"Since last week, we have decided on a new equation, ‘harming the enemy’ and rockets have hit Haifa and Tel Aviv in the last few days,” Qassem stressed, adding that "the mission of the resistance is to pursue the army and carry out operations against it wherever it advances."
He continues: "Since the enemy has now targeted all of Lebanon, we have the right, from a defensive position, to target any site in the entity... We are confronting a raging beast that cannot tolerate being prevented from achieving its goals, and I assure you, the resistance will be the one to rein it in and bring it back to its stable."
The truth is that Hezbollah can strike Israel with missiles and drones; it can even kill Israeli soldiers. However, the party cannot withstand the brutal actions that ensue; Israel is crushing Lebanon, killing its people, and threatening its existence. We saw what happened in Gaza.
Hamas succeeded in carrying out the October 7, 2023, operation, and much has been said about this historic breach into Israel. However, we all know what followed: the destruction and death that befell Gaza and its people. The militias in the region do not understand this.
These wars, whether in Gaza or Lebanon, are entirely different from those of the past, including the previous four wars in Gaza or the 2006 war in Lebanon, which led to the deaths of around 1,200 people. The current war in Lebanon has so far resulted in more than 3,000 deaths and displaced over a million Lebanese citizens.
Accordingly, Qassem's latest speech is suicidal and convoluted. It is brinkmanship, and we all know its repercussions. His speech means that Iran and Hezbollah have decided to keep fighting to the last Lebanese.
