The political advisor to the Hezbollah leader, Hussein Khalil, at the headquarters of the Free Patriotic Movement in Sin al-Fil, on Jan. 23, 2023. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem's political adviser, Hussein Khalil, said the party was still ready "to fight politically and militarily," in an interview with al-Nour radio on Monday, despite having been weakened after the latest war with Israel.
“The blow dealt to Hezbollah did not break its back," Khalil insisted. "It remains in a good position and able to fight politically, militarily, and on the field of jihad,” he said, adding that the party’s participation in the current government “bothers its enemies, those who refuse to see Hezbollah as an essential partner in the country.”
Two of the five Shiite lawmakers who make up the cabinet led by Nawaf Salam — Health Minister Rakan Nasreddine and Labor Minister Mohammad Haidar — are part of Hezbollah's quota in the government.
Khalil, who was also former party leader Hassan Nasrallah's adviser until his assassination by Israel last September, said that Hezbollah was “ready to wage the battle of the legislative elections just as it did for the municipal ones,” relying on its popular base which, he said, “has always supported 'the Resistance' and will continue to do so, especially in the upcoming vote.”
Khalil often Hezbollah during negotiations on key issues such as the presidential election and government formation. He called for making use of the current period to launch “a calm debate on major national issues,” while Amal and Hezbollah ministers are "fulfilling their role, know the needs of the Shiite community, and know how to distinguish what strengthens 'the Resistance' from what harms its direction and its weapons.”
On Sept. 5, Shiite ministers withdrew from a Cabinet meeting before army commander-in-chief Rodolphe Haykal began his presentation on the army's plan regarding the disarmament of militias present on Lebanese territory, and in particular the dismantling of Hezbollah’s arsenal.
Khalil denounced “the Zionist aggression against Doha” after recent Israeli strikes targeting Hamas officials in Qatar, which he attributed to “Arab silence and abandonment in the face of massacres, famine, and systematic killings committed in Gaza over the past two years.”
