Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, during an interview on NBC while he was still the party’s deputy leader. (Credit: NBC archive photo)
After extending an olive branch to Saudi Arabia, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem pressed on again: “Let us unite,” he urged. “Let us build our country together, or the ship will sink with all passengers on board.” Qassem made these remarks on Sept. 27 during a ceremony marking the assassinations of his predecessors, Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine. Yet in the same speech, he stood firm on one key point: Hezbollah will not surrender its weapons.On Saturday, Qassem said the group is now “an integral part of the state structure” that “contributes to its building and renaissance.” He called on the government to “focus on the key issues, chief among them the restoration of its sovereignty.” Between calls for dialogue and defiance, the question remains: Which Hezbollah should be believed? Dive deeper With Raouche, disarmament and Gaza,...
After extending an olive branch to Saudi Arabia, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem pressed on again: “Let us unite,” he urged. “Let us build our country together, or the ship will sink with all passengers on board.” Qassem made these remarks on Sept. 27 during a ceremony marking the assassinations of his predecessors, Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine. Yet in the same speech, he stood firm on one key point: Hezbollah will not surrender its weapons.On Saturday, Qassem said the group is now “an integral part of the state structure” that “contributes to its building and renaissance.” He called on the government to “focus on the key issues, chief among them the restoration of its sovereignty.” Between calls for dialogue and defiance, the question remains: Which Hezbollah should be believed? Dive deeper With Raouche,...
