Israel says Hezbollah ‘battered and broken’ since Nasrallah’s killing
Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has said Hezbollah has been “battered and broken” following continuous strikes against the group and the killing of its leader Hassan Nasrallah.
During a briefing with the army’s northern command, Gallant said Hezbollah “is a battered and broken organisation, without significant command and fire capabilities, with a disintegrated leadership following the elimination of Hassan Nasrallah”.
Earlier today, the military said about 85 projectiles were fired from Lebanon at northern Israel.
Hezbollah’s deputy leader Naim Qassem said in a televised address that the group’s capabilities were intact and its fighters were pushing back Israeli ground incursions, despite the “painful blows” inflicted by Israel in recent weeks.
Hezbollah ‘is back’, according to Qassem
It’s clear that Hezbollah is establishing its line of communication with its supporter base and with the outer world through Naim Qassem, its deputy secretary-general.
He highlighted that there is now a collective leadership, but there’s going to be an election of a new secretary-general. Besides that, he said that all the deputies and all other command positions had been elevated in the place of the original commanders.
So he’s trying to say in one way or another that the party now is back – the structure is back intact, and everything is going to be moving as per the plans.
With respect to the war, with respect to the attacks in the south, he highlighted the idea of resisting the ground operation, but he didn’t mention much on how Hezbollah is going to continue this war. It was clear that he sees it as a long war.
With respect to the political side, he says that the party delegates completely to Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri to be the negotiator on their behalf with the international community.
He showed openness to a ceasefire. There are many things that are linked to the ceasefire, including what’s going to happen in Gaza. And this is what Nasrallah, when he was alive, was always stressing on.
‘If the enemy continues its war, the battlefield will decide’: Hezbollah
The Lebanese armed group’s deputy leader Naim Qassem says he supports attempts by Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, to secure a halt to fighting with Israel.
It wasn’t clear whether this signalled any change in stance after a year in which Hezbollah said it’s fighting in support of Palestinians in war-battered Gaza and won’t stop without a truce there.
“In any case, after the issue of a ceasefire takes shape, and once diplomacy can achieve it, all of the other details can be discussed and decisions can be taken,” Qassem said. “If the enemy [Israel] continues its war, then the battlefield will decide.”
His 30-minute televised address earlier came 11 days after the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, the most devastating blow Israel has dealt its foe in decades. Another senior Hezbollah figure, Hashem Safieddine, seen as a likely successor to Nasrallah, has not been heard from publicly since an Israeli air strike late last week.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem
Israel has killed Nasrallah’s ‘replacement’, says Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has published a video addressed to Lebanese citizens claiming Israel has killed former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s “replacement and the replacement of his replacement”.
“Today, Hezbollah is weaker than it has been for many, many years. Now, you, the Lebanese people, you stand at a significant crossroads. It is your choice. You can take back your country, you can return it to a path of peace and prosperity,” Netanyahu said.
He added that if Lebanese citizens do not reclaim their country, Hezbollah will “continue to fight Israel from densely populated areas at your expense”.
“You have an opportunity that hasn’t existed in decades…You have an opportunity to save Lebanon before it falls into the abyss of a long war that will lead to the destruction and suffering that we see in Gaza,” Netanyahu said.
The Israeli army previously confirmed that it had targeted top Hezbollah commander Hashem Safieddine, who was the rumoured successor to Nasrallah, in an airstrike on Beirut last week, but his fate is so far unknown.
Erm he's right there, deputy leader Qassem. Assassinations don't work, there's always a new replacement.
