Israel only understands language of force; Resistance will not surrender: Hezbollah chief

Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem says Israel’s 33-day war against Lebanon in 2006 has proved that the occupying regime only understands the language of force.

He made the remarks in a speech on Friday on the anniversary of Hezbollah’s victory against Israel in the 2006 war.      

Noting that the war began after the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah with the aim of securing the release of Lebanese abductees from Israeli jails, Qassem said the operation took place after all communications and diplomatic efforts failed to secure the release of the Lebanese captives.

“This action was necessary to fulfill the promise that we would not abandon our prisoners in jails. Therefore, how could we change the equation without confronting and putting pressure on the Israeli enemy, who only understands the language of force?”

He stressed that, in the known military sense, this operation did not justify an Israeli aggression, “but it later became clear that the Israelis were preparing, in cooperation with the Americans, for a major war in September 2006.”

He stressed that the war ended with the defeat of the “arrogant” Israeli enemy and the US thanks to the unity among Lebanon’s army, people and resistance, adding that this victory succeeded in securing the release of the Lebanese abductees.

The Hezbollah chief added that the war achieved deterrence from 2006 to 2023 and proved the importance of the resistance.

“This is a model that the resistance is capable of changing the equation. This is an existing and ongoing experience.”

The 33-Day War ended on August 14, 2006, with the victory of the resistance against Israel.

Referring to the latest Israeli aggression which began in March, Qassem said “For us, the war was an existential war of aggression”, adding that the resistance fighters faced “a Karbala-style confrontation” where they had only two options: “Either we collapse and surrender, and the Israelis win, or we remain steadfast and defeat the Israeli project.”

He noted that the resistance thwarted the Israeli war’s objectives, stressing that Hezbollah will continue to resist the Israeli enemy.

“Whoever bets on [our] surrender is betting on a mirage and does not know the resistance well.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Qassem slammed the Lebanese authorities for signing the framework agreement with Israel, and for yielding to Israel’s “dictates”, effectively surrendering Lebanese sovereignty.

He noted that the US support has emboldened the Israeli regime to commit aggression and genocide in the region.

Amid Israel’s ongoing crimes, including the destruction of homes, villages, the occupation of Lebanese land and the killing of people there, the Hezbollah chief called on the Beirut government to “turn back from this grave sin—this shameful mistake—this humiliating error.”

Noting that what’s happening amounts to “surrender”, he stressed, “We do not accept surrender. We will remain steadfast and will not accept the violation of our country’s sovereignty or the blood of the martyrs being wasted.”

Qassem emphasized that what curbed the Israeli crimes were the steadfastness of the resistance and Iran’s insistence on the inclusion of Lebanon in any ceasefire agreement with the US.

“Some say that 300,000 citizens returned [to the south] because of the “framework agreement,” which is laughable. What brought people back was the Islamabad agreement [between Iran and the US], and what stopped the fighting in its broad form was the Islamabad agreement.”

He was referring to the Pakistan-mediated Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, signed in June to end the war but soon collapsed due to the US violations.

He reaffirmed that the resistance will continue to be victorious, saying, “God willing, we will have rounds of victory, and despite all the pain, we must endure because we are standing, and our steadfastness is a stop on the road to victory."

According to official Lebanese figures, Israeli attacks have killed at least 4,333 people, injured more than 12,236 others and displaced over one million since March 2.

Israel continues to occupy areas in southern Lebanon, including territories it has held for years as well as others it seized during the 2023-24 onslaught.

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