Hezbollah leader says Israel failed to break the group — Asharq Al-Awsat

In Lebanon, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said during an event in Beirut’s southern suburbs that Israel had failed to break his organization. The speech took place on September 27, the second anniversary of the death of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut.

As Asharq Al-Awsat reports, Qassem said that Israel and its military had failed to achieve their goals of ending the group’s existence, entrenching the Israeli occupation, and establishing settlements in Lebanon. He also said that Hezbollah was ready for dialogue, but first called for southern Lebanon to be liberated and for people to be allowed to return to their homes.

Commemorative event in Beirut

According to AFP, tens of thousands of Hezbollah supporters gathered near Nasrallah’s grave in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Participants carried flags of the group, Lebanon and Iran, as well as portraits of Nasrallah. Some of those present chanted anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans.

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Nasrallah was killed on September 27, 2024, in a massive Israeli airstrike. His chosen successor, Hashem Safieddine, who was also honored at the event, was killed several days later in another strike. After the full-scale war with Israel in 2024, the group was weakened and lost a significant part of its senior leadership.

Situation in southern Lebanon

Following a ceasefire in November 2024, Lebanese authorities committed to disarming Hezbollah and banned its military activity. In June 2026, Lebanon and Israel reached a framework agreement providing for the group’s disarmament, the deployment of the Lebanese army in pilot areas in the south of the country, and the withdrawal of Israeli troops.

Implementation of the agreements has largely stalled. Israel says it will not withdraw its troops as long as Hezbollah poses a threat, and continues to maintain forces in a self-proclaimed security zone extending about 10 kilometers into southern Lebanon. According to Lebanese authorities, more than 4,300 people have been killed in the latest hostilities.