Sheikh Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s second-in-command, spoke to the BBC in Beirut
Sheikh Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s second-in-command in Lebanon, said that Israel’s killing of civilians in Gaza poses the risk of a large-scale war in the Middle East, and that they are willing to pay the price for a possible war with Israel. .
Sheikh Naeem Qassim said in a statement to the BBC that “there may be very serious and dangerous developments in the region and no one can stop the repercussions of that.”
Speaking to the BBC’s Orla Guerin, Qassem assessed the Hamas attack on October 7 as a “resistance operation” and suggested that it was a result of the occupation.
Qassem said that if the Israeli attacks on Gaza intensify, there is a risk that the war will spread to the region.
Guerin’s question: “How close is this threat?” In response to the question, Qasim said: “This danger is very real. Is it possible that Israel’s continued killing of women and children in this way will not endanger the region? to reply.
Qassem said that Hezbollah is ready to pay the price, and said that the real question is, “Is Israel ready to pay the price?” He said that.
Qasim also said that if the conflict spreads to the region, no one will be able to stop its consequences.
Qasim is the name that comes after Hassan Nasrallah within Hezbollah.
Nasrallah did not threaten Israel with all-out war in his speech last Friday.
Then, after a woman and three children were killed in a car collision during the Israeli attack on Lebanon on Sunday, Hezbollah used Grad missiles for the first time in this crisis. An Israeli was killed in this counterattack.
So far, 60 Hezbollah fighters have been killed in Israeli attacks. While Hezbollah declared that “all options are on the table,” it continues its conflict with Israel from within its borders.
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When Qassem stated that there was no support for a possible war in Lebanon, he responded with the following:
The Lebanese people have the right to fear war. it’s normal. Who likes war? But who started this war, us or Israel? The important thing is that Israel launched the attack on Gaza.”
Qassem accused Israel of launching a “despicable” attack on Gaza, and claimed that this attack was “inevitable” when reminded of the October 7 attack.
Qassem also did not accept the comment that the Hamas attack sparked a popular reaction, saying that it “mobilized the Palestinian people” and that it led to them “embracing” their cause.
Hezbollah’s second man admitted that they received Iranian “material support and assistance” but rejected the claim that Tehran was giving orders.
Qassem also expressed the baseless claim that civilians were killed in an exchange of fire between Israeli soldiers in the October 7 attack. When BBC correspondent Guerin mentioned the camera footage of Hamas militants, he said: “Why don’t we look at what Israel is doing in Gaza?” He added: “They are killing civilians and destroying homes.”
The United States, the United Kingdom, and the Arab League classify Hezbollah as a “terrorist organization.” Hezbollah is the largest political and military force in Lebanon. But the organization lost its political power after the big explosion in the Beirut port in 2020.
Likewise, Lebanon’s economic collapse has caused Lebanon’s leaders, including Hezbollah, to be publicly discredited.
Hezbollah has 60,000 fighters and 150,000 short- and long-range missiles.