Hezbollah Chief: Iran Prevailed in War Against U.S.
BEIRUT (Dispatches) -- Iran has emerged as a decisive force in shaping the trajectory of West Asian resistance, according to Hezbollah’s secretary general, who sharply criticized Lebanon’s government for its direct negotiations with Israel—talks he described as producing nothing but shame, humiliation, and bitter disappointment through repeated concessions.
“Iran has prevailed and stood firm, whilst the U.S. has failed. Iran was able to resist aggression, and proved it is a strong state,” Sheikh Naim Qassem said in a televised address from Baalbek, southern Lebanon, on Tuesday.
Marking Arba’een, the 40th day after the martyrdom
of Imam Hussein (AS), Qassem questioned the value of Lebanon’s diplomatic engagement with Israel: “What has Lebanon reaped out of all these rounds of negotiations? While Lebanon has gained nothing, Israel has achieved everything it desired.”
The Hezbollah chief accused Lebanese authorities of seeking to placate Israel in face-to-face meetings, rather than defending the nation’s legitimate rights. He urged officials to halt further concessions, open dialogue with Hezbollah, restore internal stability, and recommit to national sovereignty—warning that current policies serve U.S. objectives, not Lebanon’s interests.
Sheikh Qassem pointed to Israel’s use of some 700 tons of explosives near Beaufort Castle as proof of ongoing aggression, and condemned Lebanese officials for ignoring the bombardments, humiliation, and disgrace while continuing to meet with Israeli counterparts.
Recalling the September 2024 Israeli offensive on Lebanon, he said its primary aim was to annihilate Hezbollah through targeted assassinations of top commanders, including Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Despite cyberattacks and the detonation of handheld pagers across Lebanon, he asserted, the resistance did not collapse—instead, it shifted the balance of power through faith and combat readiness.
The Hezbollah leader also credited the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding—signed by Washington and Tehran on June 17—as the key factor behind the cessation of Israeli strikes on Lebanon, noting that its first clause ties an end to Israeli offensives in Lebanon to lasting regional stability.
Calling for national unity, Sheikh Qassem praised Hezbollah’s ties with the Amal Movement and stressed that solidarity among Lebanon’s factions serves as a formidable barrier against Israeli aggression.
He further accused Washington and Tel Aviv of seeking to extinguish the spirit of resistance and entrench Israeli dominance over West Asia as a U.S. proxy. In contrast, he declared that Iran—under the guidance of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei—will achieve major victories.
“Iran has prevailed and stood firm, whilst the US has failed. Iran was able to resist aggression, and proved it is a strong state,” Sheikh Qassem concluded.