Lebanon (BN24) – Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem reiterated Sunday the militant group’s refusal to surrender its weapons before Israel withdraws from all of southern Lebanon and halts airstrikes, delivering his message in a video address as thousands gathered in Beirut’s southern suburbs to mark the Shiite holy day of Ashoura.
Ashoura commemorates the 680 AD Battle of Karbala, where Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Imam Hussein was killed after refusing to pledge allegiance to the Umayyad caliphate. For Shiites, the commemoration symbolizes resistance against tyranny and injustice.
This year’s observance follows a devastating war between Israel and Hezbollah that nominally ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in late November. Israeli strikes eliminated much of Hezbollah’s top leadership, including longtime Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, and destroyed significant portions of its arsenal.
Since the ceasefire agreement, Israel has continued occupying five strategic border points in southern Lebanon while conducting near-daily airstrikes that Israeli officials claim aim to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its capabilities. Those strikes have killed approximately 250 people since November, adding to more than 4,000 killed during the war, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
International and domestic pressure has mounted for Hezbollah to relinquish its remaining weapons stockpile following the group’s military losses during the conflict.
“How can you expect us not to stand firm while the Israeli enemy continues its aggression, continues to occupy the five points, and continues to enter our territories and kill?” Kassem said in his video address. “We will not be part of legitimizing the occupation in Lebanon and the region. We will not accept normalization with Israel.”
Addressing critics who question why the group maintains its missile arsenal, Kassem responded: “How can we confront Israel when it attacks us if we didn’t have them? Who is preventing Israel from entering villages and landing and killing young people, women and children inside their homes unless there is a resistance with certain capabilities capable of minimal defense?”
Kassem’s comments preceded an expected visit by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack to Beirut to discuss a proposed plan for Hezbollah’s disarmament and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the remainder of southern Lebanon.
Barrack posted Saturday on social media platform X that Lebanon faces “a historic moment to supersede the strained confessionalism of the past and finally fulfill true promise of the hope of ‘One country, one people, one army.'” He quoted U.S. President Donald Trump saying, “Let’s make Lebanon Great again.”
The ongoing standoff highlights the complex challenges facing efforts to implement the ceasefire agreement and establish lasting peace in the region. While the November ceasefire officially ended active hostilities, the continued Israeli military presence and Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm have created an unstable situation that threatens to reignite conflict.
The Ashoura commemorations provided a symbolic backdrop for Kassem’s defiant message, connecting contemporary resistance to historical Shiite narratives of standing against oppression. The timing underscores how religious and political elements intertwine in Hezbollah’s ideology and public messaging.
Lebanese authorities and international mediators face the difficult task of balancing security concerns with political realities as they work to prevent the fragile ceasefire from collapsing while addressing the underlying issues that fuel the conflict.
