Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qasem warned on Tuesday that Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon threaten the country’s sovereignty and risk pushing the region into wider conflict.
Speaking in Beirut, he said Israeli offensives in southern Lebanon “cannot continue,” adding: “Everything has its limits.”
He described Israel’s intensified operations in the south as an “invasion” and vowed to protect the resistance from existential threats.
Qassem said the Lebanese military’s deployment south of the Litani River was an “acceptable price” for national security. He characterized the move as a strategic victory and argued that the military’s presence alongside Hezbollah shows unity in defending sovereignty.
“We are winners with the presence of the Lebanese army south of the Litani River, because they are our sons,” Qasem declared. He added that the agreement strengthens the country’s role in securing borders and protecting its people.
He stressed that the ceasefire agreement applies only to southern Lebanon. Qassem has rejected demands such as Hezbollah’s disarmament and expanded crackdown north of the Litani River, calling such demands an attempt to weaken Lebanon’s defenses.
Turning to foreign involvement, Qassem accused the United States and Israel of interfering in Lebanon’s internal affairs. He said both aim to determine the country’s political, economic and military trajectory in order to undermine the role of the resistance.
“The United States and Israel are interfering in Lebanon’s future and determining its military, economic, political and strategic status,” Qasem said, reaffirming Hezbollah’s opposition to foreign efforts to shape Lebanon’s political and military landscape.