Hezbollah Chief Declares Group's War in Lebanon Tied to Iran as Israeli Airstrikes Kill 11
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said the group’s war in southern Lebanon is tied to developments in Iran. Israeli airstrikes hit Beirut and Baalbek, killing at least 11 and injuring 23, while displacement rises after evacuation warnings to 150 towns.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - As Israeli airstrikes pounded multiple areas across Lebanon, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem declared on Wednesday, that the group’s war in southern Lebanon is directly linked to what unfolds inside Iran, delivering a stern warning to domestic opponents: “Do not stab us in the back.”
In a televised address, Qassem said: “As long as Israeli occupation continues, resistance is a legitimate right. I do not evaluate on behalf of the Lebanese state and I do not tell them our patience has limits. Rather, I say the problem lies with the occupier, not with the issue of weapons.”
He also criticized decisions by the Lebanese government aimed at restricting weapons, stating that “those steps have weakened Lebanon’s strength.”
Qassem revealed that since the beginning of the ceasefire agreement until now, 500 Hezbollah members have been killed. While rejecting claims that Hezbollah’s missiles triggered the war, he described the group’s actions as “retaliation for the assassination of Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader.” He further accused the Lebanese government of making “a grave mistake and aligning itself with Israel.”
Reaffirming the movement’s longstanding doctrine, Qassem stated: “Resistance and weapons remain, and possession of weapons is a legitimate right.” He added, “There is no balance of power between us and Israel, but we fight for history,” setting a condition for the Lebanese government that “it must protect the resistance.”
Addressing displaced civilians, Qassem said: “They displaced you to create division among us, but you are the most honorable people,” calling on the government to assume responsibility for the displaced.
Coinciding with the speech, the Israel Defense Forces carried out a series of heavy airstrikes across various Lebanese areas, including the southern suburb of Beirut and the city of Baalbek. The strikes followed urgent Israeli evacuation warnings issued to 150 villages and towns in southern Lebanon.
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that six people were killed and 15 others wounded after a residential complex in Baalbek was bombed.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry separately announced that Israeli strikes on Mount Lebanon and Baalbek resulted in 11 deaths and 23 injuries.
The military escalation has triggered a new wave of displacement, with large numbers of displaced civilians settling along Beirut’s seaside Corniche after evacuation warnings were issued for 150 villages and towns.
The confrontation continues to deepen, with developments on the Lebanese front now explicitly tied, by Hezbollah’s leadership, to the broader conflict unfolding in Iran.