In a fiery speech marking International Quds Day, Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem issued a direct threat to Israel, warning that the Iran-backed terror group is prepared to resume full-scale war if Israeli strikes on Lebanese territory continue. His remarks reflect growing desperation within Hezbollah’s leadership as Israeli operations cripple the group’s military capabilities across southern Lebanon.
“This aggression must stop,” Qassem declared. “We cannot accept the continuation of this approach… The resistance can thwart aggression and prevent it from achieving its objectives.”
Qassem further claimed that Hezbollah has “fully honored” its commitments under previous understandings, but accused Israel of daily violations—striking Hezbollah targets in southern and eastern Lebanon with growing intensity in recent weeks. In reality, these Israeli strikes have been preemptive and defensive, targeting active launch sites, weapons convoys, and Iranian-backed operatives preparing attacks against Israeli civilians.
“Other Options on the Table”
In what analysts see as a veiled threat, Qassem warned that if Israel does not halt its operations, Hezbollah has “other options” it may soon activate—language historically used to signal long-range missile attacks, cross-border raids, or attempts to target strategic infrastructure in Israel.
“International Quds Day is a day when the oppressed confront the oppressors,” he said, echoing Iran’s revolutionary rhetoric.
But Israel has made it clear: no ceasefire or diplomatic pressure will stop the IDF from defending its citizens. Since the war began on October 7, Hezbollah has launched thousands of rockets at northern Israel, killing civilians and displacing entire communities. In response, the IDF has carried out precision strikes against Hezbollah’s command centers, missile sites, and supply lines.
Israeli officials have repeatedly warned Hezbollah that any continued aggression will be met with overwhelming force. IDF operations have pushed deeper into Lebanese territory in recent weeks, eliminating dozens of senior field commanders, destroying long-range missile storage sites, and dismantling much of Hezbollah’s electronic warfare and drone capabilities.
The message from Jerusalem is clear: there will be no return to the pre-war status quo, where Hezbollah operated freely under Iranian direction while hiding behind Lebanon’s civilian population.
A Proxy in Retreat
Qassem’s speech also highlights the broader collapse of Iran’s terror network across the region. With Hamas dismantled in Gaza, the Assad regime overthrown in Syria, and the Houthis battered by direct U.S. airstrikes, Hezbollah—once Iran’s strongest proxy—has now collapsed under the weight of relentless Israeli military pressure and the assassination of its leadership. Iran’s regional strategy is in freefall.
Hezbollah’s threats are not a display of strength, but a clear sign of desperation. Its leadership has been decimated, its arsenals shattered, and its political cover collapsing—even within Lebanon, where civilians are paying the price for Hezbollah’s reckless loyalty to Tehran’s failed agenda.
