"Hezbollah's leader Naim Qassem says the group has the right to respond to Israel's assassination of its top military chief in a strike on Beirut's southern suburbs last week. In a televised speech on Friday, Qassem called the killing of Haytham Ali Tabtabai a blatant aggression and a heinous crime, adding that the Lebanese armed group has the right to respond, and we will determine the timing for that."
"Do you expect a war later? It's possible, sometime. Yes, this possibility is there, and the possibility of no war is also there, Qassem said. Qassem did not explicitly say what the group's role would be in any new war, but said Lebanon should prepare a plan to confront Israel that relies on its army and its people. The Hezbollah leader also said he hoped Pope Leo's upcoming visit to Lebanon will play a role in bringing about peace and ending the [Israeli] aggression."
"Qassem insisted that Hezbollah has respected the November 2024 ceasefire that sought to end over a year of fighting with Israel, and demanded an end to continuing Israeli attacks on Lebanon. Tabtabai was in a meeting with four of his aides to prepare for future actions when he was struck, Qassem said. Responding to Qassem's speech, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the Lebanese army's efforts to seize Hezbollah weapons in the country's south were inadequate."
Haytham Ali Tabtabai, a top Hezbollah military chief, was killed in an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs while meeting with aides. Hezbollah called the killing blatant aggression and a heinous crime and asserted the group has the right to respond. Hezbollah maintains that war remains possible but not inevitable and urges Lebanon to prepare a defense plan relying on its army and people. The group expressed hope Pope Leo's upcoming visit could help bring peace and end Israeli aggression. Hezbollah asserted it respected the November 2024 ceasefire and demanded an end to ongoing Israeli attacks. Israel has carried out near-daily strikes on southern Lebanon and hit Beirut several times.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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