Hezbollah chief calls on Israel to withdraw from Lebanon: Agreement with Iran shows US defeat in war

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said that Israel has no alternative but to unconditionally withdraw from the Lebanese territories it occupies, while ruling out any scenario of normalization of relations between the two countries.

In a televised speech before tens of thousands of supporters gathered for the Shiite festival of Ashura, he said: “Israel has no other choice but to completely withdraw from every inch of Lebanese territory… Israel must leave unconditionally.”

Qassem made these comments at a time when officials from Lebanon and Israel are holding direct talks in Washington. He stressed that the organization he leads will accept “no normalization, no lifting of the hostile regime, no gain for Israel, and no partial presence on Lebanese soil… Israel must leave humiliated and defeated, and that will happen.”

Along the same lines, the Hezbollah chief described the US-Iran agreement as “a declaration of defeat for Israel and America,” following the reduction in hostilities between the organization and Israel.

“They wanted a major war… to wipe out our existence,” Qassem said.

He went on to add: “We managed to stop this attack and achieve a major victory… We have disrupted the Israeli-American plan and are entering a new phase,” referring to the agreement with Iran, which “is an official declaration of defeat for America and Israel.”