Hezbollah’s deputy chief delivers defiant message

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Sheikh Naim Qassem asserts that despite death of leader, Hezbollah remains militarily capable and ready to meet any Israeli ground offensive.

Hezbollah’s deputy chief has vowed that the Lebanese armed group is ready to meet an Israeli ground offensive, despite the deaths of its leader and many senior commanders.

Israel has not hit Hezbollah’s military capabilities, said Sheikh Naim Qassem on Monday as he delivered a message of defiance in a public address. Despite the setbacks suffered under the bombardment of Lebanon in recent days, he sought to insist that the Iran-linked armed group will continue to fight.

Hezbollah’s operations have continued at the same pace and more, since the killing of leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday, Qassem asserted.

He added that Hezbollah will install a new leadership soon via “internal mechanisms”. The choice of new leadership is clear, Qassem continued, without offering further details.

“We are quite ready, if the Israelis want a ground incursion, the resistance forces are ready for that,” he declared.

Hezbollah will continue with its main goals despite Israel’s aim of creating chaos with aggression and massacres being committed against civilians in Lebanon, Qassem continued.

“Israel is committing massacres in all areas of Lebanon until there is no house left without traces of Israeli aggression in it,” he said. “Israel attacks civilians, ambulances, children and the elderly. It does not fight fighters, but rather commits massacres.”

Qassem was also careful to note the role of the US, which he called “a partner with Israel, through unlimited military support – culturally, politically, financially.”

“We will win, just as we won in our confrontation with Israel in 2006,” said the deputy chief as he ended the video message.

This is a developing story. More to follow …