Qassem: Washington wants to make Lebanon an ‘annex’ of Israel, Hezbollah ready for any confrontation with Israel | LIVE

Iran nuclear talks

Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian told state television that a preliminary agreement had been reached with Europe on the nuclear file, but the United States opposed it “because they want to weaken Iran,” according to Reuters.

Israeli attacks on Gaza leave at least 82 dead since this morning

At least 82 Palestinians have been killed since this morning amid continuous Israeli army attacks across the Gaza Strip, medical sources told Al Jazeera. These strikes killed at least 45 people in Gaza City, which is under a large-scale ground and air assault.

Among the latest casualties reported by rescue services, eight people — including four children — were killed in an Israeli drone strike targeting a house in the al-Daraj neighborhood. Additionally, a drone strike in the town of Nousseirat, in central Gaza, killed seven more people, according to a source at al-Awda Hospital.

According to the latest official figures released Saturday afternoon by Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 65,926 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, with 167,783 injured and thousands missing, their bodies still trapped under the rubble.

After the speech, slogans honoring Nasrallah were chanted in unison by the thousands of participants.

Qassem: “The government has ‘made a mistake’ with its decisions on Hezbollah’s disarmament”

On the political front, Naim Qassem called for the implementation of the Taif Agreement provisions on organizing elections based on the elimination of the confessional quota system and on the election of a Senate — articles that have remained unimplemented since the agreement was concluded in 1989.

“The government must place national sovereignty at the top of its agenda; this means preventing Israel from remaining in Lebanon. The government should fulfill its duty in terms of reconstruction and allocate a budget for this purpose, even if modest,” he added.

He reiterated that “the government has made a mistake in taking its decisions regarding the weapons of the resistance” and the dismantling of Hezbollah’s arsenal.

Qassem: “America wants to turn Lebanon into an annex of Israel”

Criticizing at length the statements of U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, Naim Qassem recalled that he conditioned the restoration of stability in Lebanon on the disarmament of Hezbollah and called for the “cessation of the party’s funding.”

“By asserting that the United States will not intervene to confront Hezbollah and that Israel will continue this task, he [Barrack] gave legitimacy” to Israeli attacks, the party leader criticized, still referring to the U.S. envoy. “The American says he wants to remove the party’s strength — that is, Lebanon’s strength — they want to arm the army only to fight Hezbollah,” he added, emphasizing that, according to him, Washington aims to “turn Lebanon into an annex of the Israeli regime.”

Qassem: “We are ready for any confrontation with the Israeli enemy”

Naim Qassem added that the “resistance was able to thwart the Israeli objective.” He criticized that despite the truce, Israel “continued its attacks, backed by America, which exerted every possible pressure to achieve by politics what it failed to achieve militarily.”

“We are moving forward, we are reorganizing, and we are ready for any confrontation with the Israeli enemy,” he added.

Qassem: The strikes aimed to “end the resistance” and implement the “Greater Israel” vision

Naim Qassem also paid tribute to the “fighting brothers and civilians” killed in the Israeli strikes on Sep. 27, 2024. “We particularly remember the great commander Abou Fadl Ali Karaki, who trained generations of leaders and fighters and left a legacy that will endure,” he said.

“The Israelis killed senior cadres, struck our capabilities, and carried out major operations; if such events had occurred over a few days against any army or even a group of states, those armies and countries would have collapsed,” he added, stressing that Israel’s objective was to “end the resistance” in order to achieve the vision of a ‘Greater Israel.’

But according to him, Hezbollah was able to “regain the initiative, elect a new secretary-general, reorganize, and replace its martyrs with new leaders,” which ultimately forced the Israeli state to accept the cease-fire agreement of Nov. 27.

Paying tribute to Hashem Safieddine, who briefly succeeded Hassan Nasrallah before being assassinated himself — without his appointment ever being formally confirmed by the party — Naim Qassem emphasized that Safieddine had been a “support for the lord of the nation’s martyrs,” Hassan Nasrallah. “Your path has been marked by gifts, sacrifices, and struggle,” added the Hezbollah leader.

Qassem: “We will not abandon the stage and we will not give up our weapons”

“The trajectory of Hezbollah was shaped by your thought, your mind and your blood; it is, by God’s will, victorious, and Hezbollah is the strongest,” the party leader told his predecessor.

He then recalled the party’s “era of victories,” citing notably “the 2000 liberation” when the Israeli army withdrew from southern Lebanon, the July 2006 war, and “the liberation of the Jroud” in 2017, when the group fought jihadist factions based in the rugged hinterlands of Ras Baalbek and Ersal near the Syrian border. Those battles ended with an agreement with the Assad regime under which members of the jihadist groups were sent back to Syria.

“You changed the face and orientation of the region, and this resistance has spread to all the conscious people of the world,” he added. “They killed your body, but your spirit is freed; you are eternally alive with God, you endure and you illuminate. They will know no rest while you are present in us, and they will not prevail while you are in us.”

“We will not abandon the stage and we will not relinquish our arms,” he declared.

(Credit: Mohammad Yassine / L’Orient-Le Jour)

Mohammad Mahdi, son of Hassan Nasrallah, attends commemoration for his father’s assassination in southern Beirut.

Naim Qassem pays tribute to Nasrallah, whose ‘presence has become even stronger’

In his speech, Naim Qassem paid tribute to Hassan Nasrallah: “Your departure was overwhelming, but your light shines brilliantly. You left this world to illuminate it from above, and your presence has become even stronger. You were the leader, and you have become the inspirer of leaders,” he said.

“You are the author of the famous saying, ‘The era of defeats is over, and the era of victories has arrived,’ and indeed today we are living in the time of great victories — within ourselves, in our lives, and against our enemies,” added the head of the party.

Israeli drones are flying over the southern suburbs of Beirut in parallel with the speech of Hezbollah's Secretary-General Naim Qassem.

Screenshot from al-Manar

Amid cheers from the crowd, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem begins his speech, broadcast on a giant screen.

A man in tears during the ceremony honoring Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine in the southern suburbs of Beirut. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine / L’Orient-Le Jour)

Several Lebanese political figures are attending the ceremony. Among them are Sleiman Frangieh, the leader of the Marada Christian party, and Hagop Pakradounian, head of the Armenian Tashnag party. The two Hezbollah representatives in the government, Rakan Nassereddine and Mohammad Haidar, ministers of Health and Labor respectively, are also in the front row, where Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran, is seated.

In Beirut’s southern suburbs, in front of a crowd waving Hezbollah’s yellow flags, Lebanese and Iranian flags and portraits of Hassan Nasrallah, a choir of men dressed in black sings in tribute to the party’s fighters killed in Israeli strikes. Around the mausoleum of the former Hezbollah leader, portraits of slain party officials are displayed on a large board.

A man observes the site where former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in Haret Hreik, in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Sep. 27, 2024. (Credit: Haitham Moussaoui/AFP)

At 6:21 p.m. on Sep. 27, 2024, “everyone froze”: Lebanese residents shared with our journalist Zeina Antonios their memories of the moment when the Israeli army struck Hezbollah’s headquarters in Beirut’s southern suburbs and assassinated Hassan Nasrallah.

Read their testimonies here.

A portrait of Hassan Nasrallah during the commemorative ceremony in Beirut’s southern suburbs. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine / L’Orient-Le Jour)

Nasrallah assassination: commemorative ceremony begins

Large crowds gathered in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Nabi Sheet in the Baalbeck district and Deir Kanoun al-Nahr in southern Lebanon to mark the first anniversary of the assassination of former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, killed a year ago in massive Israeli airstrikes, as well as his successor Hashem Safieddine.

Ceremonies are being held at their respective mausoleums, attended by thousands of people, according to our photographer in the southern suburbs, Mohammad Yassine, and the party’s TV channel, al-Manar. The event began with the Hezbollah anthem and will include a speech by the party’s current Secretary-General, Naim Qassem.

The question of Israel’s annexation of the occupied West Bank has been ‘abandoned,’ according to a senior Emirati official

Anwar Gargash, senior adviser to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, said that the issue of Israel’s annexation of the occupied West Bank has been “abandoned.” His remarks came following a meeting on Friday between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that he “would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank.” Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, he declared: “I will not allow it. It will not happen.”

Death toll from Israeli attacks in Gaza continues to rise

At least 58 Palestinians have been killed since Saturday morning by gunfire or airstrikes from the Israeli army, medical sources told Al Jazeera.

Among the victims, 30 died in Gaza City alone, as the Israeli military continues its ground assault on the main urban center of the enclave, alongside airstrikes and artillery fire.

In addition, at least four Palestinians seeking aid at U.S. and Israeli-backed GHF distribution sites were also killed in the central part of the besieged territory.

A portrait of Hassan Nasrallah on the ruins of a house in Houla, Feb. 18, 2025. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L’Orient-Le Jour)

Ahead of the commemorations scheduled for the afternoon, we offer this analysis by Nemtala Eddé, Salah Hijazi, and Malek Jadah: “How Hezbollah tries to reinvent itself without Nasrallah.”

Pezeshkian says Washington demanded Iran hand over ‘all’ its uranium

Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian said that the United States had demanded Iran surrender “all” its enriched uranium in exchange for a three-month extension of a sanctions suspension, calling the request “unacceptable.”

Gaza: At least 48 Palestinians killed in Israeli raids since dawn

At least 48 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since dawn, as intensive strikes and house demolitions by Israeli occupation forces continue, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, cited by the National News Agency (NNA).

Palestinian medical sources reported that of the 48 killed, nine were taken to Al-Shifa Hospital, 17 to Al-Ahli Al-Arabi “Al-Ma’madi” Hospital, 15 to Al-Awda Hospital, one to Nasser Hospital, and six to Al-Aqsa Hospital.

The sources added that among the dead, three were aid seekers in the Netzarim area.

Commemoration of Nasrallah

On the occasion of the first anniversary of the assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah by Israel, Amal Movement leader and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri paid a heartfelt tribute.

“My companion on this journey, you always said that we must confront evil, even if it leads us to martyrdom, because that is what exposes all masks,” he wrote. “Through your ultimate sacrifice, you have achieved victory and martyrdom,” he added.

Addressing Nasrallah and all the martyrs, Berri said they “will remain by our side until the end, to preserve Lebanon, reject discord, and protect human dignity and civil peace, which are essential safeguards against the absolute evil that is Israel.”

Southern Lebanon: Bomb dropped by Israeli drone in Maroun al-Ras

A small Israeli military drone dropped a sound bomb on a destroyed house in Maroun al-Ras, southern Lebanon, according to our local correspondent Muntasser Abdallah. Fighter jets are patrolling the Saida region and the border area.

12 countries, including France, the UK, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Spain, announced yesterday the creation of a coalition to financially support the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority, whose tax revenues are being withheld by Israel.

The Emergency Coalition for the Financial Viability of the Palestinian Authority was “created in response to the urgent and unprecedented financial crisis” facing the Authority, the Spanish foreign ministry said in a statement. Its goal is to stabilize the finances of the Ramallah-based body, preserve its ability to govern, provide essential services, and maintain security. “All elements indispensable to regional stability and the preservation of the two-state solution,” the statement added.

➡️ Read more here.

In Lebanon, Israeli fighter jets are intensively patrolling the Bekaa Valley at low altitude, our correspondent Sarah Abdallah reports. The Israeli army carried out a series of strikes on the Bekaa Heights yesterday, claiming to target “missile production sites” belonging to Hezbollah.

At least 44 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza since dawn

Al-Jazeera, citing hospital sources in the enclave, reports that at least 44 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since early morning. Among the victims, 25 were killed in Gaza City, and three others while attempting to obtain food aid in the center of the territory.

Countdown to UN sanctions reinstatement against Iran

U.N. sanctions on Iran will be formally restored tonight following the failure of negotiations between European countries, which are demanding assurances on Iran’s nuclear program, and Tehran, which denounces the decision as illegal and has recalled its ambassadors. The United Kingdom, France and Germany, the E3 group, triggered the “snapback” mechanism at the end of August, which allows sanctions lifted in 2015 under the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) to be reinstated within 30 days.

After the U.N. Security Council gave the green light, and after Russia and China failed on Friday to delay the deadline, heavy sanctions, ranging from an arms embargo to economic measures, will be restored overnight from this evening to tomorrow, barring a last-minute twist. In protest, Iran recalled its ambassadors to France, Germany and the UK today, state television reported.

➡️ More details here.

Press conference at Beirut airport on the arrival of Ali Larijani. (Credit: NNA)

Larijani arrives in Beirut

Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, arrived this morning at Beirut airport to participate at 4:30 p.m. in the commemoration of the assassination of former Hezbollah Secretaries-General Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine and their companions, at Nasrallah’s mausoleum in southern Beirut. Larijani is also expected to hold political meetings, including with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri at 11:45 a.m. and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at 1:15 p.m.

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the situation in the Middle East. This Saturday marks the first anniversary of the assassination of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in massive Israeli airstrikes on southern Beirut. His successor, Naim Qassem, is scheduled to give a speech tonight, and the party is holding ceremonies across the country.