The second-in-command of the Lebanese resistance says Israel would have ‘collapsed within days’ of 7 October were it not for the support of the US…
In an extensive interview with Spanish daily El Mundo, the Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, said that attacking US positions in West Asia is “essential” to stop the mass murder of Palestinians in Gaza due to the unfettered support given by Washington to Tel Aviv.
“It is the [western] axis that supports the occupation, legitimizes the murder of children and women, the destruction of hospitals, and grants immunity to Israel to continue its massacres. The US is supporting these massacres, and that is why attacking the US is essential to stop the aggression against Gaza,” Qassem said in the interview published on 14 November.
“US military intervention is part of the violent Israeli reaction and serves to protect this monstrosity,” the Hezbollah deputy chief stressed.
US bases in Iraq and Syria have come under daily bombardment since 17 October by local resistance factions, prompting the Pentagon to deploy nearly a dozen warships, thousands of troops, and heavy weapons to the region.
The Hezbollah official also stressed that Israel “still stands [today] because of the support of the US.”
“You heard Nasrallah say in 2006 that Israel was more fragile than a spider’s web. Israel is weak. Their society is not motivated to defend their country. This is what happened on [7 October]. The amount of time it took for politicians and the army to react was unreal. If Israel still stands, it is because of the support of the United States. Otherwise, it would have collapsed within a few days. Israel is under intensive care by the west and we do not know how much longer it will last.”
When asked about the fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli army at the Lebanese border – which has been ongoing since 8 October – Qassem said Hezbollah has a plan to “force Israel to restrain itself.”
Nonetheless, he added that any decision “will be made on the battlefield,” as the possibility of the fighting spreading beyond the Lebanese border region depends on “the evolution of the Gaza war and on Israel’s (hypothetical) decision to start a broader war.”
“If they attack us, we will have to defend ourselves, and we will use all of our power,” he told El Mundo.
When pressed on whether the “broader war” would be precipitated by a defeat of the resistance in Gaza, Qassem told the interviewer: “We will decide when the time comes. Now is not the time to talk about red lines.”
The Hezbollah leader also illustrated that the main difference between the Lebanese resistance and the Israeli army goes far beyond each other’s arsenal, saying: “A confrontation cannot be measured only in terms of military capacity. The motivation and desire of the resistance to defend its people and land exerts great influence. We do not take into account the balance of power. We only seek to ensure that the enemy does not achieve its objectives; that is the real victory.”
Qassem added that Hezbollah today is “in a much better position” than in 2006 when Israel was handed a humbling defeat at the hands of the resistance. “We don’t need weapons. Our warehouses are full. In fact, we need more warehouses,” he stressed.
“If Israel uses nuclear weapons, it will kill the Israelis before it kills us. This is a very small territory. In any case, we are not afraid of nuclear weapons. [The statements by the member of the Israeli cabinet] are an example of their arrogance. The west should tell us what it thinks about an Israeli minister suggesting the use of nuclear weapons.”
“If Israel decides to extend the aggression [against Lebanon], it will be digging its own grave and giving us a good opportunity to eliminate it once and for all,” Qassem asserted.
He also took aim at the posture taken by western media outlets, saying they act “as if Israel has a right to [the occupied territories] and is the victim.”
“The reality is that Palestinians are the occupied ones, and Israel is the occupier. We have to confront the problem of the occupation and not that of resistance to the occupation. For Hezbollah, Israel has no right to exist, and Palestinians are the real owners of that land. But it is up to the Palestinians, including Palestinian Jews, to decide their future. Those who have come from all over the world have no right to steal that land.”
Tyler Durden
Sat, 11/18/2023 – 16:20
