Elias Bejjani/Text and Video: Naim Qassem Invents a New Taif and Hides Behind Iran’s Sectarian National Pact, While Boasting of Victories That Are, in Reality, Crushing Defeats
Elias Bejjani/Text and Video: Naim Qassem Invents a New Taif and Hides Behind Iran’s Sectarian National Pact, While Boasting of Victories That Are, in Reality, Crushing Defeats Elias Bejjani/August 06/2025
Once again, Sheikh Naim Qassem, Secretary-General of the terrorist group Hezbollah, delivered a speech that exemplifies deception and blatant distortion. With no sense of shame, he invoked slogans of patriotism, the Taif Agreement, sovereignty, the National Pact, and resistance—all in the service of a sectarian militia project subservient to the Iranian regime. This project has nothing to do with Lebanon or the interests of its people. Anyone who followed his speech on August 5, 2025, would immediately see that Qassem speaks not for Lebanon or its citizens, but solely for Iran’s Supreme Leader. Hezbollah is the military and security arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and since 2005, it has been occupying Lebanon. Hezbollah refuses to cede this occupation to the Lebanese state, constitution, or sovereignty. Instead, through violence and intimidation, it seeks to crush the state, enslave the people, and empty the Lebanese entity to serve the Iranian project of Wilayat al-Faqih (Rule of the Jurisprudent).
1. A Speech of Lies and Delusions
Not a single word in Qassem’s speech reflects truth, reality, or the decaying state of Hezbollah’s capabilities. He transitioned from one falsehood to another with astonishing audacity, insulting the intelligence of the Lebanese people. He falsely claimed that the Taif Agreement legitimized Hezbollah’s weapons and that its arsenal is a “constitutional right” that cannot be touched without full national consensus. Astonishingly, he equated Hezbollah’s weapons with the National Pact that guarantees Christian-Muslim coexistence—despite Christians being a numerical minority.
2. A Flagrant Falsification of the Taif Agreement and the Constitution
Let us remind Qassem and those parroting these lies that the Taif Agreement never mentioned Hezbollah or any so-called “resistance.” On the contrary, it explicitly stated:
“All Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias shall be disbanded. Their weapons shall be collected and delivered to the Lebanese state within a specified timeframe.”
(Paragraph E, Section A – Political Reforms – Taif Agreement)
“The Lebanese state shall extend its authority over all Lebanese territories through its own forces, with no partner or rival.”
(Paragraph G, Section A – Taif Agreement)
Thus, the continued existence of Hezbollah’s arsenal is a direct violation of the constitution, the National Pact, the will of the people, and international resolutions—from 1559 to 1701 and beyond.
The National Pact does not grant legitimacy to illegal weapons or sectarian militias taking orders from Tehran. It mandates that vital national decisions be made within legitimate state institutions, under the rule of law and the constitution.
3. The Myth of Weapons as Sectarian “Guarantees”
In a dangerous and divisive move, Qassem attempted to frighten Christians by invoking Lebanon’s demographic imbalance—a narrative that is entirely rejected. Lebanon is not protected by militias. It is protected by its constitution, state institutions, army, and judiciary. Christians, Shiites, and all Lebanese do not need sectarian militias for protection. They need a strong, sovereign, and just state. Hezbollah does not protect the Shiite community; it holds it hostage and sends its youth to die in Iran’s proxy wars inside and outside Lebanon—wars that serve Tehran, not Lebanon.
4. The Lie of “Victory” – A Defeat Too Massive to Conceal
Qassem proudly claimed that Hezbollah “prevented Israel from reaching Beirut.” In reality, Israel has not only reached Beirut—it has repeatedly bombed Hezbollah’s stronghold in Dahiyeh, assassinated top commanders, and destroyed weapons depots, command centers, and infrastructure across Lebanon. The cost? Thousands dead, tens of thousands displaced, an economy in ruins, and total infrastructure collapse. Israeli jets now fly over Lebanon with impunity, striking Hezbollah operatives at will. Yet Qassem shamelessly calls this a “victory.”
5. The Crime of the Beirut Port
Qassem cynically mentioned the anniversary of the Beirut port explosion—as if Hezbollah were blameless. In truth, Hezbollah has obstructed the investigation, eliminated key witnesses, and shielded those responsible.
According to both international and local investigations, Hezbollah used the port as a weapons depot and a smuggling hub for the Assad regime. This is not a conspiracy—it is documented, undeniable evidence. No empty rhetoric can erase this crime.
6. Hezbollah Killed in Syria—Not Resisted
Hezbollah dispatched thousands of fighters to Syria to prop up Bashar al-Assad’s murderous regime. In doing so, it played a direct role in destroying cities, displacing millions, and massacring civilians—under the banner of the so-called “Axis of Resistance.” What resistance kills other peoples to defend a dictator?
7. Refusal to Disarm = Declaration of War on the State
Hezbollah’s insistence on retaining weapons outside state control is a declaration of war on the Lebanese people, on the state, and on sovereignty. Its alleged willingness to “discuss a defense strategy” is a ruse—this so-called strategy is nothing more than a scheme to retain its weapons indefinitely under Iranian command.
Let it be clear:
There is no legitimacy for any weapon outside the Lebanese Army.
There is no compromise on murder.
There can be no partnership in smuggling, kidnapping, and assassination.
It is either one state with one army—or no state at all.
8. Hezbollah Is Defeated… and Iran Is Crumbling
Despite the propaganda, Hezbollah has suffered major defeats both in Lebanon and abroad. Israel has shattered its deterrence and exposed its vulnerabilities. The Iranian project it serves has collapsed under domestic uprisings and foreign strikes in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. The false slogans of “resistance” and “liberation” have been debunked. The “Jerusalem cause” has been used, abused, and ultimately exposed as a front for a sectarian imperial project. Iran’s expansionist dreams are crumbling.
9. Final Message: Lebanon Cannot Be Saved Until Hezbollah Is Disarmed
Lebanon will never rise as long as Hezbollah holds the reins of power, controls war and peace, and dominates the ports, airport, politics, and economy. The state must act. If it does not, the international community—or even Israel—will not tolerate the continued existence of this terrorist entity.
The coming stage will be unforgiving. The choice is clear:
Either implement international resolutions and disarm Hezbollah—or face the alternative: Israeli intervention, the collapse of southern Lebanon into a buffer zone, and possible mass displacement.
Conclusion: Hezbollah’s era must end. Its weapons must go. Only then can Lebanon breathe, rebuild, and reclaim its sovereignty.
Sheikh Qassem: Hezbollah is Part of Lebanon’s State, Deciding on Resistance Arms Requires Consensus Al-Manar English Websiteظ August 5, 2025
Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem indicated on Tuesday that to build the nation and maintain stability, the Lebanese must cooperate within the national unity and set necessary priorities, away from the US guardianship. During a memorial ceremony in tribute of senior commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Mohammad Saeed Izadi, Sheikh Qassem maintained that the ceasefire agreement is an indirect agreement highlighting close cooperation between the Resistance and the state. “Hezbollah has fully committed to the ceasefire terms, and no violations were reported against the enemy or in cooperation with the state. ‘Israel’ violated the agreement thousands of times.” According to Sheikh Qassem, the Israeli enemy regretted the agreement, seeing that it empowered Hezbollah to maintain its strength in Lebanon, “and therefore did not abide by it”. Sheikh Qassem affirmed that teh United States has imposed terms to strip Lebanon, the Resistance, and the entire people of their strength and capabilities, entirely benefiting ‘Israel’. “Barrack demanded disarmament within 30 days, including even hand grenades and mortar shells—basic weapons. He demanded dismantling 50% of the capabilities within a month, but they do not know the extent of our capabilities to determine what 50% means. Barrack said that after these measures, ‘Israel’ would withdraw from the five points.” America wanted, in its proposal, to strip Lebanon of its military capability represented by the Resistance and to prevent the army from acquiring weapons that could affect ‘Israel’, Sheikh Qassem added. Sheikh Qassem affirmed that Hezbollah rejects any new agreement, saying “They must implement the old agreement, and we reject any timetable proposed for implementation under the umbrella of ‘Israeli’ aggression”. “We refuse to be slaves to anyone. To those who talk to us about concessions because of funding cuts, we ask: What funding do you mean?”Hezbollah Chief noted that the Zionist enemy’s interest does not lie in escalating the aggression on Lebanon because the “Resistance will defend, the army will defend, the people will defend, and rockets will fall inside the entity, collapsing the security they have built over eight months within one hour”.If we relinquish our weapons, aggression will not stop—this is confirmed by ‘Israeli’ officials, Sheikh Qassem added. “The government statement talks about fortifying sovereignty—so is abandoning weapons based on Israel’s, America’s, and some Arab countries’ prescriptions fortifying sovereignty? The government statement talks about deterring aggressors, but where is the state that shields Lebanon from calamity? Where is the defense of borders and frontiers? If you say you cannot, then let us preserve and build our capabilities.”Sheikh Qassem recalled that the Prime Minister boasts about the government’s commitment to take all measures to liberate all territories from ‘Israeli’ occupation, asking: “But where are these measures?”
“The state must provide protection, not strip its people and resistance of their strength; it should benefit from it rather than disarm in favor of ‘Israel’, America, and an Arab country.”
We must bring a proposal to the [Lebanese] Cabinet to face aggression, preserve sovereignty, set a timetable to achieve this, discuss how to involve everyone in Lebanon’s defense, and increase pressure on the enemy, Sheikh Qassem said. “The Resistance is part of the Taif Agreement constitution and explicitly mentioned; it is a constitutional matter. Let us discuss a national security strategy that strengthens Lebanon, not a timetable to disarm. We are keen on cooperation and understanding between us and the three presidents.”
Sheikh Qassem warned against the internal sedition advocates whose hands are stained with blood and those who serve the Israeli project, adding: “This country has advanced through sacrifices and blood, and we will not allow anyone to impose dictates upon us”.
“We are arranging our internal situation through cooperation and understanding; no solution will happen without internal consensus. The state must tell the international community that it is responsible for protecting its southern and eastern borders and must assume that responsibility.”No one can deprive Lebanon of its strength or prevent Lebanon from being honorable, Sheikh Qassem affirmed, adding that those who made sacrifices and liberated the land are more patriotic than those who destroyed the country and killed its citizens.
“Thanks to #The_Formidable_in_Might, we were able to stop the aggression before it reached Beirut, and the resistance, army, and people prevented the enemy from achieving its goals.”His eminence said, “The Resistance is well, strong, and honorable; it possesses faith, will, and is determined to be the master in its country. Lebanon will be honorable, independent, and its people steadfast and united, with fighters ready for the utmost sacrifices.”
The wounded from the ‘Pagers’ operation, and all the wounded, are people of insight and determination, at the peak of sacrifice and resolve, and they achieved success in official exams, Sheikh Qassem added. Sheikh Qassem affirmed that Hezbollah’s injured fighters are never out of service, congratulating all the students, who passes the official exams, especially the “Pagers wounded”. Hezbollah Leader indicated that the Resistance consists of parties, forces, and individuals from various sects and ideologies—this is our greatest asset, adding: “Our enemy does not have a free hand and has not achieved its goals to this day, so don’t allow it to do so”.“In today’s battle, either all of Lebanon wins together or everyone loses; our conviction is that we can triumph together. We must be alert to attempts by sedition-mongers and defeatists who seek to exploit the situation in favor of foreign agendas.” – The aggression is the problem, not the weapons, according to Sheikh Qassem, who added that the solution lies in possessing the elements of strength, not abandoning them, and relying on the honorable—not the American wolf.
“We will confront foreign guardianship, American-Arab encroachment, and internal bullying. This is a dangerous phase in Lebanon’s path to independence, but we are stronger through the triad of the army, the people, and the resistance—and through unity.”
Beirut Port
We pause at the great disaster of the Beirut port explosion on August 4, which caused a deep wound in Lebanon, Hezbollah Secretary General said. “We call for accelerating the completion of trials and investigations, away from politicization that delayed results until now.”
Hajj Ramadan
Sheikh Qassem indicated that Martyr Hajj Ramadan is the Iranian martyr of Palestine, adding that he dedicated his life to serving Palestine. “Hajj Ramadan held a sensitive leadership position at the age of 19. He worked in the Palestine Office responsible for coordination with the Palestinian factions.”Hajj Ramadan was keen on the unity of the Palestinian factions and ensured that Hezbollah remained close to them, His Eminence added. Sheikh Qassem indicated that Hajj Ramadan hadsaid, “Al-Aqsa Flood is a miracle not achieved by any resistance force, and Al-Aqsa and Al-Quds elevate those who serve them.”“Hajj Ramadan embraced Imam Khomeini’s view of the Zionist entity as a cancerous tumor. Our leadership’s perspective is that Palestine is a humanitarian cause, not merely a geographic issue, meaning everyone must support it.”Sheikh Qassem said that Hajj Ramadan arrived in Lebanon two days after the martyrdom of His Eminence Sayyed Nasrallah to dedicate himself to Hezbollah’s service, adding that the martyr as a humble and reverent spiritual man, deeply devoted to Imam Khomeini and Imam Khamenei.
Al-Manar English Website
Qassem refuses to commit to arms handover while Israel continues attacks Agence France Presse/Naharnet/Associated Press/August 05/2025
Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem said Tuesday his group would not accept any timetable on handing over its weapons to the Lebanese state while Israeli strikes continue, as the government held a session on the issue. “Any timetable presented for implementation under… Israeli aggression cannot be agreed to,” Qassem said in a televised address, urging the state to develop “plans to face the pressure and threats” and not to “deprive the resistance (Hezbollah) of its capacities and strength.” “The resistance is fine, strong and dignified, its supporters are resilient and coherent, and its fighters are ready to offer the dearest sacrifices,” Qassem added. The Iran-backed Hezbollah emerged badly weakened from more than a year of hostilities with Israel, including two months of all-out war that saw its arsenal pummeled and a slew of senior commanders killed, among them leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Long the strongest political force in Lebanon — with detractors accusing it of using the threat of its weaponry to impose its will on domestic decisions — Hezbollah has also seen that influence diminish since the conflict. Israel has kept up regular raids on Lebanon despite the November truce, mostly saying it is striking Hezbollah targets, and has threatened to keep doing so until the group has been disarmed.
“Are we being asked to engage in dialogue, or to surrender our weapons without dialogue?” Qassem said. “We cannot accept Lebanon committing to gradually giving up its strength while all the strength cards remain in the hands of the Israeli enemy,” he added.
Qassem also criticized a recent proposal presented by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack on disarming the group. “Whoever looks at the deal Barrack brought doesn’t find an agreement but dictates,” he said, arguing that “it removes the strength and capabilities of Hezbollah and Lebanon entirely.”Hezbollah is the only faction that kept its weapons after Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war, doing so in the name of “resistance” against Israel, which occupied the country’s south until 2000. Last month, Barrack urged Lebanon to “act now” to impose a state weapons monopoly. A Lebanese official with knowledge of the talks told AFP that “Washington is pressuring Lebanon to make Hezbollah hand over its weapons according to a timetable, but without (the U.S.) providing any guarantees.” President Joseph Aoun last week said Lebanon was committed to removing “weapons from all armed groups including Hezbollah” and seeing them surrendered to the Lebanese Army. Lebanon is at “a crucial stage” and must choose “between collapse and stability,” Aoun had said, linking international support for the crisis-hit country to disarming the group. In his speech, Qassem said that “we do not agree to any new deal other than the existing deal between the Lebanese state and the Israeli entity,” referring to the November ceasefire. Qassem also warned Israel against launching any new “large-scale aggression.”“Israel’s interest is not to widen the aggression because if they expand, the resistance will defend, the army will defend and the people will defend,” Qassem said. “This defense will lead to the fall of missiles inside the Israeli entity,” he added. Before discussing the fate of its weapons, which it considers a matter of domestic defense strategy, Hezbollah has demanded that reconstruction of areas destroyed during the war begin, and that Israel stop its attacks, withdraw from five areas it occupies and release Lebanese prisoners.
Hezbollah chief says missiles will fall on Israel if it resumes war on Lebanon Reuters/05 August/2025
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem threatened Israel directly for the first time in months in a televised speech on Tuesday, saying missiles would fall on it if it resumed a broad war on Lebanon. His comments came as Lebanon’s cabinet met to discuss the fate of Hezbollah’s arsenal, after Washington pressured Lebanese officials to commit to disarming the Iran-backed group and amid fears that Israel could intensify strikes if they fail to do so. Qassem said that, should Israel engage in a “large-scale aggression” against Lebanon, Hezbollah, Lebanon’s army and Lebanon’s people would defend themselves.
“This defense will lead to missiles falling inside the Israeli entity, and all the security they have built over eight months will collapse within an hour,” he said. A US-brokered ceasefire in November brought an end to months of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. The war killed much of Hezbollah’s leadership – including Qassem’s predecessor Hassan Nasrallah – and destroyed much of its arsenal. Qassem said the war had killed 5,000 Hezbollah fighters and wounded 13,000, the first official toll the group has given. But he said the organization remained in good order, with fighters ready to make “the harshest sacrifices” if needed. Minutes after he spoke, dozens of men on motorcycles carrying Hezbollah’s yellow flags emerged from its strongholds in Beirut’s southern suburbs for the second day in a row. Washington and Beirut have been in talks since June on a US roadmap to fully disarm Hezbollah in exchange for a halt to Israeli strikes, the withdrawal of Israeli troops still occupying five points in south Lebanon and funds to rebuild areas destroyed by Israeli bombardment during the war. But with little progress on disarmament, Washington’s patience began wearing thin and it pressured Lebanon’s ministers to swiftly make a public pledge so that talks could continue. Qassem pushed back against the conditions, saying Israel must implement the ceasefire in full by halting its military activities in Lebanon before any other discussion. “Solve the problem of the (Israeli) aggression, and then we will discuss the issue of the weapons,” he said. Addressing Lebanese officials, he said: “I hope you don’t waste time on the storms stirred up by external dictates.”
