Disarmament an excuse to limit resistance: Hezbollah chief

Qassem delivered a speech on Tuesday to the Party’s ceremony marking Martyr’s Day.

The Hezbollah leader said at the start of his speech. "The best way to commemorate this great day is by recalling the words of the Master of the Ummah Martyrs Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah: ‘When we are martyred, we win"

"Martyr Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah used to say that "We achieve victory when we are martyred", he added.

"Hezbollah military battle prevented 75 thousand Israeli soldiers and officers from invading Lebanon," Qassem later said.

"Army-people-resistance formula consecrated the balance of deterrence during the period between 2000 and 2023," the Hezbollah chief continued to say.

"The Lebanese Army deployment in South Lebanon is not a defeat for Hezbollah; we are glad to see that," he said elsewhere, warning that "‘Israel’ plans to interfere in all Lebanon’s domestic issues."

"The Lebanese government thinks disarming Resistance will deactivate Israeli pretexts, but the enemy generates new excuses to attack Lebanon," Qassem further said.

"Ceasefire agreement is effective in the south of Litani River exclusively," he later said, stressing that "the Lebanese government must work to expel the Israeli occupation."

"We will not lay down our weapons; It was these weapons that allowed us to reach an agreement," he asserted.

"The enemy wants to destroy us; therefore, we have the right to do anything in the face of this danger," said the Hezbollah leader, adding that "We will defend our land, our families, and our dignity, and we will not surrender."

"Bullying and pressure will not deter us from defending ourselves," Qassem said.

"Israel has targeted people's homes, cars, and lands, destroying life in the border areas," according to Hezbollah chief, adding that "According to the Ministry of Health report, 130 days have passed since the ceasefire agreement, and during this period, 717 citizens, including children, women, men, and resistance forces, have been martyred."

"Despite all, Hezbollah has not taken any action to violate the ceasefire," Qassem said. adding that, "In the face of these repeated violations, some continue to say that the problem is on the Lebanese side, while the reality is that the violations are Israeli."

MNA