Hezbollah leader Gen Soleimani took the lid off US regional projects Israels expansionist scheme
Hezbollah leader: Gen. Soleimani took the lid off US regional projects, Israel’s expansionist scheme
TEHRAN - Israel is trying to maintain the illusion that Hezbollah’s compliance with the November ceasefire deal stems from the Lebanese resistance movement’s weakness.
Under such erroneous views, the regime of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to violate the truce agreement that took effect on November 27, 2024.
Nonetheless, the Hezbollah leader has indicated that Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders are experiencing a period of euphoria.
Delivering a speech on Saturday night, Sheikh Naim Qassem warned Israel that Hezbollah’s patience “might run out” over Israeli violations of the US and France-backed ceasefire.
He added, “The leadership of the Resistance decides when, how, and with what weapons to resist. There is no fixed timeline dictating the Resistance’s actions. Our patience is tied to the appropriate timing to confront the enemy. Our actions may precede or exceed 60 days, and when we decide to act, you will witness it directly.”
On October 8, 2023, Israel and Hezbollah initiated cross-border fire, following Israel's declaration of war on Gaza the previous day. In a show of support for the Palestinians in the enclave, the Lebanese resistance movement targeted Israel's strategic and military installations using drones and missiles.
Israel launched a massive bombing operation in Lebanon on September 23 last year that was followed by the deployment of its troops to southern Lebanon one week later.
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s secretary general, was martyred in an Israeli airstrike in a Beirut suburb on September 27.
The Israeli army killed about 4,000 people in Lebanon from October 2023 until it signed the 60-day ceasefire deal with Hezbollah that is set to expire on January 27.
Qassem, who succeeded martyr Nasrallah, elucidated the reasons behind Israel's decision to enter into the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah.
“When the ceasefire took effect, the Islamic Resistance capabilities were still there. The ceasefire took place, not because the Resistance lost its weapons, but the enemy requested the deal due to its ground failure,” he said.
According to the ceasefire agreement, Israel must fully withdraw from Lebanon by the end of this month.
Under the terms of the deal, the Lebanese army is to deploy alongside UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL). Hezbollah should also move its military infrastructure north of the Litani River.
On Saturday, UNIFIL accused Israel of a "flagrant violation" of the 2006 Security Council resolution that forms the basis of its November ceasefire with Hezbollah.
"This morning, peacekeepers observed an (Israeli military) bulldozer destroying a blue barrel marking the line of withdrawal between Lebanon and Israel in Labbouneh, as well as an observation tower belonging to the Lebanese Armed Forces immediately beside a UNIFIL position there," the peacekeeping force said.
It added, "The (military's) deliberate and direct destruction of both clearly identifiable UNIFIL property and infrastructure belonging to the Lebanese Armed Forces is a flagrant violation of Resolution 1701 and international law."
Reports say Israel has violated the November ceasefire deal hundreds of times.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority has reported that the Israeli army has decided to stay in the Mediterranean country beyond the 60-day withdrawal period specified in the truce agreement.
Over the past decades, Israel has martyred regional resistance leaders. The regime has been seeking to weaken resistance movements but to no avail.
The United States has also assassinated anti-terror icons in line with its nefarious schemes in the region.
The US assassinated Iran’s top General Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), in a drone strike near Baghdad International Airport in January 2020.
They played a key role in defeating the ISIL terror group.
The Hezbollah leader, who delivered his Saturday speech on the 5th anniversary of their assassination, highlighted their role in exposing the plots hatched by Washington and Tel Aviv.
“Martyr Soleimani exposed US plans, and its support for ISIL, and thwarted America’s shifting projects in the region. He also unveiled Israel’s expansionist schemes,” Qassem said.
He also described General Soleimani as a “strategic leader on intellectual and political levels”.
The Hezbollah leader added, “The martyr commander Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis was a towering figure in Iraq, with a significant role in its liberation from the cursed Saddam and from ISIL, which sought to occupy Iraq. Abu Mahdi played a pivotal role under the banner of the religious authority in establishing the Hashd Shaabi and ending the American occupation of Iraq.”
source: tehrantimes.com