Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said on Tuesday that the Lebanese militia is open to a ceasefire with Israel, but only if a ceasefire is also reached in Gaza.
“The flooding of Al-Aqsa is a legitimate right for the Palestinians and everyone with them, and neither Lebanon nor the region can be separated from Palestine,” Qassem said in a televised speech, referring to the 7 attacks October on Israel led by Hamas militants who caused the current Gaza war.
“We will target the enemy’s army, its centers of presence and its barracks. The solution is a ceasefire, and we will not speak from a position of weakness,” Qassem said.
He also accused Israel of targeting Lebanese army troops and UNIFIL peacekeepers stationed in southern Lebanon.
“Since the enemy has attacked the whole of Lebanon, we have the right to attack any point in the enemy entity from a defensive position,” he added.
Qassem said that as the war continues, “hundreds of thousands, or even more than 2 million, in Israel will be in danger.”
As in previous speeches, Qassem spoke from an unknown location, Hezbollah broadcaster al-Manar said.
It remained unclear whether the speech was pre-recorded.
