Naim Qassem

Don’t Invite Syria Back Into Lebanon

Washington is contemplating the one thing that could rally Lebanese around Hezbollah.

Hezbollah Snubs Trump Offer of Israel Truce

Hezbollah was quick to reject the latest Israel-Lebanon ceasefire brokered by the United States this week. It did so despite President Donald Trump floating direct talks with the Iranian-backed terrorist...

Curbing Iran Means an Israel Unfettered in Lebanon

Amid the ongoing, fitful diplomacy to end the war between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, the conflict’s second front, between Lebanon and Israel, is picking up pace. While Israel...

Hezbollah Leader Vows To Retain Weapons as Israel Responds to Group’s Continued Ceasefire Violations

Qassem Pledges To Retain Arms: Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem vowed on April 27 that the Iran-backed terrorist organization would not “relinquish its weapons or its defenses.” Qassem also labeled last week’s meeting between Lebanese and Israeli officials a “gratuitous and humiliating concession” on the part of the Lebanese government. “We categorically reject direct negotiations with Israel, and those in power should know that their actions will not benefit Lebanon or themselves,” Qassem said.

The road to the second Lebanon ceasefire

At midnight local time on April 17, a second ceasefire in as many years went into effect between Israel and Lebanon. Brokered, or to some degree imposed, by the United States, this cessation of hostilities...

A breakdown of Israel’s heavy bombardment of Beirut on April 8

On the afternoon of April 8, Israel launched its deadliest and most intense wave of airstrikes in Beirut since the war with Hezbollah restarted in early March. Initial reports claimed that the Israel Defense...

Hezbollah at War: What Comes Next for Lebanon and the Region

Israeli goals in Lebanon war shift from imminently disarming Hezbollah to reestablishing South Lebanon Security Zone

The renewed Lebanon war between Israel and Hezbollah that began on March 2 is now over a month old, with little change in the overall picture or disposition of the main actors. However, Israeli officials...

Israel kills Al Manar employee Ali Shuaib, says he was a Hezbollah military operative

On the morning of Saturday, March 28, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) targeted a press-marked vehicle on the Jezzine-Kfarhouna road in south Lebanon. The strike killed Ali Shuaib, an employee of the...

Lebanon Declares Iranian Ambassador Persona Non Grata

Tehran’s Envoy Declared ‘Persona Non Grata’: Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi said on March 24 that he had “instructed today the Secretary-General of the Ministry...

Naim Qassem says Hezbollah will continue fighting Israel, frames war as defense of Lebanon

On March 13, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem gave his second speech since the renewal of Hezbollah’s war with Israel on March 2. The speech marked the anniversary of Qods Day, an event...

Lebanon war intensifies as IDF strikes harder and Hezbollah escalates attacks

The renewed Lebanon war, now just over a week old, has witnessed a gradual intensification of attacks by Israel and Hezbollah between March 8 and 11, with both sides making clear their current disinterest...

Lebanon Weighs Legal Action Against Hezbollah’s Chief as Israel’s Northern Front Turns Deadly

Reports from Beirut suggest Lebanese Justice Minister Adel Nassar is considering “legal action” against Hezbollah’s leader, Naim Qassem. For decades Hezbollah, a proxy of the clerical regime in...

Rockets target US Embassy in Baghdad after Iraqi Shiite militia group issues threat over war in Lebanon

On March 6, the Coordination Committee of the Iraqi Resistance (CCIR) issued an ultimatum over recent Israeli attacks in Lebanon: Stop bombing the southern Dahiyeh suburbs of Beirut (a known...

Israel strikes over 500 targets in Lebanon, issues evac orders in renewed war with Hezbollah (March 2–6)

The November 27, 2024, ceasefire agreement signed by Israel and Lebanon, negotiating on behalf of Hezbollah, finally broke down completely. In the early morning hours of March 2, 2026, Hezbollah’s forces...

Lebanon’s Narrow Window To Disarm Hezbollah

Once again, Hezbollah has dragged Lebanon into a war with Israel. Despite promising signals, Beirut remains unserious about reasserting the state’s authority. On March 2, the Lebanese Cabinet proscribed...

Why Hezbollah Joined the Iran War

The Lebanese terrorist group’s seemingly self-defeating move underscores its absolute loyalty to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Hezbollah leader vows to fight until the end in renewed war with Israel

On March 2 at approximately 1:30 am, Hezbollah attacked Israel with several rockets and drones for the first time since the November 27, 2024, ceasefire went into effect. The group officially claimed the...

Hezbollah Deliberates Over Attack on Israel as Further Strikes Hit Iranian Regime Targets

Operation “Epic Fury” opened with a well-placed strike against Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s compound in Tehran, eliminating him and several other senior officials. Yet save for sharply worded,...

U.S. State Department orders non-emergency personnel to depart from Beirut embassy

On February 23, the US State Department ordered the departure of all non-emergency government personnel from the US Embassy in Beirut, along with their family members. A State Department...