Sheikh Naim Qassem rejects disarmament, salutes Yemen, Iraq

BEIRUT, Sept. 27 (YPA) – Hezbollah Secretary-General, Sheikh Naim Qassem, on Saturday offered special greetings to Yemen and Iraq during a speech marking the first anniversary of the martyrdom of the late Secretary-General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

Sheikh Qassem extended greetings to the “Yemeni leadership, people, and armed forces” for “paying the price to support Palestine.” He also saluted Iraq—its religious authority, Popular Mobilization Forces, scholars, people, and government—for their support of Gaza and Palestine, in addition to greeting Tunisia and the global pro-Palestine movements.

In a clear message of defiance, Sheikh Qassem rejected any American-Israeli calls for the party’s disarmament, warning that disarming would be an act of weakness to satisfy an Israeli demand. He firmly stressed, “We will not allow disarmament, and we will wage a Karbala-like confrontation; we will confront any project that serves Israel, even if it is cloaked in a national guise.”

He affirmed that the path of the resistance will continue in the same manner set by Sayyed Nasrallah until victory is achieved and that the resistance is ready for “any defense in the face of the Israeli enemy.” He deemed the “Palestinian cause as the central issue,” noting that the resistance in Gaza is confronting the occupation on behalf of the world.

Sheikh Qassem also called on the Lebanese government to fulfill its duty in reconstruction and to prioritize national sovereignty on its agenda, which he believes is achieved by preventing “Israel” from remaining in Lebanon.

He concluded his speech by asserting that “Israel has not achieved its goals over two years,” and that the solidarity of regimes, peoples, and the resistance is the “strength of the Nation.”

YPA