Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said Friday evening in a televised address that Israel’s assassination of Haytham Ali Tabatabai was “a blatant attack and a heinous crime.” He added, “We have the right to respond, and we will decide the appropriate time to do so.”
Marking one year since the signing of the cease-fire, Qassem hailed the agreement as “a day of victory for the resistance, for Hezbollah, for the people, and for Lebanon,” insisting that Israel had failed to eliminate Hezbollah.
He went on to say that Israel operates “with great ease” inside Lebanon, in coordination with American, international and Arab intelligence services. “It is possible that Israeli agents have infiltrated Hezbollah, and we must correct our mistakes, close the gaps that have appeared, and learn from them,” he added.
According to Qassem, the Lebanese state is responsible for protecting its citizens and must act to prevent Israel from attacking and establishing a foothold in Lebanon, “something it is not doing at the moment.”
Regarding the visit of Pope Leo XIV, the secretary-general welcomed the trip and said Hezbollah would deliver a letter to the Pope, which will also be made public. “We hope his visit will help establish peace and put an end to the aggression,” he said.
Adraee: Lebanese State Must Continue Disarming Hezbollah
Israeli army Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee urged the Lebanese state Friday evening on X (formerly Twitter) to “continue the process of disarming Hezbollah in accordance with the commitments outlined in the agreement.” He reaffirmed that the Israeli army “remains committed” to the bilateral agreement, while stressing that it will not allow “the rebuilding of Hezbollah’s military power,” even if this requires “the use of force when necessary.”
Adraee said the strike targeting Haytham Ali Tabatabai, described as Hezbollah’s chief of staff, came after “monitoring his repeated attempts to rebuild the organization’s military capabilities,” in what he called “a blatant violation” of the agreement in force between Israel and Lebanon for nearly a year.
According to Adraee, Tabatabai’s elimination represents “a major blow” to Hezbollah’s command and military management capabilities. He added that these developments “reflect shortcomings in the Lebanese Army’s operations and the insufficiency of its efforts,” while Hezbollah “continues to circumvent them and operate secretly to preserve its arsenal.”
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