Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — The "expansion of the war in Lebanon is not foreseeable in the near future," said Naim Qassem, Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah in an interview with the Russian Sputnik Radio Friday, reported by the Lebanese state-run National News Agency (NNA).
Qassem affirmed "Hezbollah's commitment to respond proportionally to Israeli provocations while avoiding civilian casualties."
Since Oct. 8 Hezbollah and Israel have been involved in near-daily cross-border fire. Hezbollah has repeatedly said that the southern front is a support front for Gaza and that its actions are in support of its Palestinian ally, Hamas.
"Gaza has been under aggression for 9 months now, and from the beginning, the Israeli army believed this war could be conclusive within 3 months — with an Israeli victory, crushing Hamas, and freeing hostages and prisoners," Qassem said.
He added, "Israel has no choice but to accept Hamas' conditions because Hamas will not cease resistance unless the firing and aggression against civilians stops."
Qassem pointed out that "the steadfastness and significant sacrifices of the Palestinian people, exceeding 130 to 140 thousand martyrs and wounded, against a genocide and starvation war with American and European support and endorsement, have led the Israeli entity to a dead end."
38,011 people have been killed and 87,445 injured since hostilities began last October, according to the Gaza Health ministry.
Israel has 'failed to achieve its objectives in Rafah'
He observed, "The Israeli army's announcement of the start of the third phase of the military operation in Rafah is simply evidence of its failure to achieve its goals."
"Consequently, having reached a dead end, Israel will consider this timing appropriate for reaching an agreement. At that point, it will claim to have ended its operations in Gaza, succeeded in striking Hamas' military infrastructure, and returned once again to negotiations, where it will decrease demands and present to its people that it has achieved an accomplishment in this war."
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its military operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
Israel had said that it aims to destroy "Hamas bases located in Rafah."
'No dispute between the US and Israel over war crimes'
Regarding the dispute between US President Joe Biden and Netanyahu, Qassem said, "There is no dispute between the two sides regarding crimes, genocide, and ending the Palestinian existence, but the difference lies in tactics and approach."
"Netanyahu wants to continue his massacres openly, while Biden wants to achieve his goals gradually."
While the US has maintained its strong diplomatic and military aid support for Israel amid the war in Gaza, "Biden has on some occasions expressed concerns about Israel's conduct," Reuters reported citing an incident when Biden describes Israel's bombing campaign in Gaza as "indiscriminate" while also labeling its military response on another occasion as "over the top."
In a call with Netanyahu in April after the killing of World Central Kitchen aid workers, Biden "urged him to take more steps to protect civilians in Gaza, saying US policy may change otherwise," Reuters reported.
Discussing the potential impact of Biden losing the presidential elections on Gaza, he noted, "External factors do not influence this issue because there are two fundamental factors that can change the course of events: the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and resistance, and Israel's ability to continue its attrition war and its reflection on Israeli society."
Qassem assessed, "After the war, Hamas will play a major role in Palestine, contrary to Israeli expectations and desires. Indirect negotiations are ongoing with the movement, so after the cease-fire, Hamas will be strong in the Palestinian political scene and oversee the implementation of the cease-fire agreement. "
"Thus, these events have left Israel and the United States perplexed about their options for the day after the war," Qassem concluded.