Elias Bejjani/Text and Video: Deconstructing the Deceptions, Foreign Agendas, and Terrorism in the Speech of Naim Qassem—Iran’s Puppet and an Enemy of the Lebanese
Elias Bejjani/Text and Video: Deconstructing the Deceptions, Foreign Agendas, and Terrorism in the Speech of Naim Qassem—Iran’s Puppet and an Enemy of the Lebanese Elias Bejjani/August 15/2025
Today’s speech by Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary-General, Naim Qassem, is a full-fledged declaration of war. It came just after the visit of the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, to Beirut. Larijani met with President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and he heard clear, sovereign, and constitutional words from them: no weapons outside state control, decisions of war and peace are only in the hands of state institutions, No for foreign interference, and the Lebanese army is the sole guarantor of national security.
Qassem, hiding in an underground lair—perhaps in Iran or inside the Iranian embassy in Beirut—gave a recorded, rebellious speech. He confirmed he is nothing more than a trumpet and a tool for the mullahs of Iran, leaving no doubt that he was carrying out Larijani’s orders and instructions, both in letter and in spirit. In his address, Qassem issued a direct threat to the state and the army, saying: “If you decide to eliminate us, let it be clear that we will fight our battle to the end, and we will not allow a repeat of Karbala,” adding, “Either we live together on the terms of the resistance, or farewell to Lebanon.”
These statements are not just emotional rhetoric; they are a clear announcement that Hezbollah, under direct Iranian orders, will consider any attempt by the Lebanese state to impose its authority over its weapons a battle for survival, even if it’s against the Lebanese army itself. He did not stop at threats and disgusting shrieks. He also resorted to his pathological delusions of grandeur, claiming that Hezbollah “prevented Israel from achieving its goals” and that the South is “protected by the resistance’s weapons.”
The reality is quite different: in the last confrontation with Israel, Hezbollah suffered painful blows, losing most of its leaders commanders and weakening its military structure. Its weapons couldn’t even protect Hassan Nasrallah himself. This narrative of fake and false victories is meant to hide the failure and justify the continued existence of an illegitimate and non-Lebanese weapon that is an enemy of Lebanon and its people.
In an attempt to give Hezbollah’s weapons popular legitimacy, Qassem cited a “public opinion poll” that claims the majority of Lebanese support the “resistance strategy.” However, this poll was conducted by an institution affiliated with Hezbollah itself, which strips it of any scientific value or impartiality. The political, electoral, and popular facts confirm that the majority of Lebanese, including a large segment of the Shia community, reject the continued dominance, terrorism, Persian influence, and occupation by Hezbollah, as well as its control over the decision of war and peace and the dragging of the country into futile and destructive Iranian wars.
The most dangerous aspect of Qassem’s threatening speech today is that it falls directly under the articles of the Lebanese Penal Code: Article 329: Armed threat to prevent authorities from performing their duties. Article 314: Acts that cause public panic and threaten civil peace. Article 315: Terrorist acts that lead to the disruption of state facilities. By these standards, what Qassem said with brazenness, immorality, and depravity constitutes a full-fledged crime, requiring his immediate arrest and prosecution. He openly incited armed rebellion and announced the readiness of the terrorist Hezbollah to engage in a civil war if the constitution is applied.
In practice, Naim Qassem’s speech is a literal translation of Iranian orders carried by Larijani from Tehran to Hezbollah. These positions have nothing to do with Lebanese sovereignty or civil peace. Rather, it is a declaration of absolute loyalty to the authority of the mullahs, who see Lebanon merely as a battlefield for their wars and its people as sandbags, hostages, and their fuel.
The stark difference between the constitutional language of Presidents Aoun and Salam and Qassem’s response in the language of “Karbala” reveals the clear difference between those who want a state and those who want a terrorist, jihadist mini-state loyal to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
In a reading of Naim Qassem’s words, the following eight points can be highlighted:
First: A Threatening Karbala-Style Speech Against the State and the Army Naim Qassem’s speech, which came one day after the visit of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani to Lebanon and their meeting, clearly exposes Hezbollah’s complete subordination to Iran and its operation according to the agenda of the Revolutionary Guard. While Larijani listened to direct and explicit sovereign and independent stances from Presidents Joseph Aoun and Nawaf Salam, Qassem chose to respond with a direct threatening tone against the Lebanese government, describing its decision as the implementation of “an Israeli and American paper.” Even more dangerous is his implicit and explicit declaration that Hezbollah is ready to confront the Lebanese army with a “Karbala concept,” should the state try to implement the constitution and disarm it. Qassem’s words represent a clear declaration of rebellion against the state and a readiness to enter into a civil war if Hezbollah’s dominance is threatened.
Second: The Majority of Lebanese, Including many Shiites, Are Against Hezbollah’s Weapons Contrary to the lies and fabricated illusions that Qassem repeats, the popular and political reality in Lebanon today is clear: the majority of Lebanese, including many from the Shia community, reject the continued existence of Hezbollah’s weapons. These weapons have caused Lebanon’s isolation, destroyed its economy, dragged it into losing wars with Israel, and held it hostage to an Iranian decision that has nothing to do with the country’s interest. The people of the South themselves have paid a heavy price with their lives and homes because of Hezbollah’s adventures, and they realize that Lebanon’s true protection lies in a strong state with its army and laws, not in a sectarian Iranian militia.
Third: The Hypocrisy of the Alleged Poll In an attempt to polish his party’s image, Qassem cited what he called a “public opinion poll” claiming that the majority of Lebanese support Hezbollah’s weapons and the defensive strategy it proposes. These are false claims, as the poll was conducted by the “Consultative Center for Studies,” an institution directly affiliated with Hezbollah, which robs it of any credibility. The goal of these lies is to create the illusion of popular support, while the political, electoral, and street realities prove the opposite.
Fourth: The Lie of Preventing Israel from Achieving its Goals Qassem’s claim that Hezbollah prevented Israel from achieving its goals, including establishing settlements in the South, is a distortion of history. Hezbollah itself failed in the war of support for Gaza, which it began with an Iranian order. This resulted in the assassination of most of its leaders, field commanders, the displacement of Shiite people from the South and the southern suburbs, and the destruction of their areas. Its weapons couldn’t even protect Hassan Nasrallah personally, let alone Lebanon. This defeat is part of a larger defeat that Iran suffered during the 12 days when Israel and the United States destroyed its nuclear facilities and air defense systems, and assassinated dozens of its military and political leaders and nuclear scientists. The link is clear: Iran’s defeat is Hezbollah’s defeat, because the militia is nothing but an Iranian arm in Lebanon.
Fifth: Hezbollah… The Enemy of Lebanon It is necessary to call things by their names: Hezbollah is not the protector of Lebanon; it is Lebanon’s primary enemy. Its weapons are not for defending the borders or confronting Israel, but for dominating national decisions and maintaining the Iranian occupation of Lebanon. These weapons are a tool to impose a unilateral political will that contradicts the principles of sovereignty, the constitution, and living together.
Sixth: Illegitimate Weapons and a Rogue Iranian Gang Since its establishment in 1982, Hezbollah has been involved in a series of crimes covered by the Lebanese Penal Code under terrorism, murder, threats, and restricting freedoms, in addition to engaging in drug trafficking and manufacturing, money laundering, and arms smuggling etc.
Seventh: The Most Dangerous Threat Qassem said it plainly: “There is no life for Lebanon if you decide to eliminate us. Either we live together, or farewell to Lebanon.” This is an existential threat to the state and the people, and a clear message that Hezbollah considers Lebanon its private property, and that the survival of the nation is conditional on the survival of the militia.
Eighth: The Necessity of Arresting and Prosecuting Naim Qassem Based on the content of this speech and in accordance with the articles of the laws mentioned at the beginning of the text—which include incitement to sectarian strife, direct threats to the government and the army, and brazen boasting of committing acts criminalized by Lebanese laws—the national and legal duty requires the immediate arrest of Naim Qassem and his prosecution according to the articles of the Penal Code related to terrorism and armed rebellion.
Text Of Hezbollah’s Sheikh Qassem Speech: Resistance Will Never Relinquish Arms, Victory Assured Marwa Haidar/Al-Manar English Website/August 15, 2025 Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem affirmed on Friday that the Resistance will never relinquish arms as long as the Israeli occupation and aggression is continuous. In a televised speech on Arbaeen of Imam Hussein a.s. (an occasion marking 40 days on martyrdom of Imam Hussein), Sheikh Qassem said the Resistance will fight a Karbala fight of necessary, voicing confidence of victory. His eminence warned the Lebanese Government against the “dangerous” decision to disarm the Resistance, taken earlier this month, noting that the government is implementing the Israeli-US order to end the Resistance. “The Lebanese Government bears full responsibility for any internal strife and for abandoning its duty to defend the land of Lebanon,” Sheikh Qassem addressed crowds in the eastern city of Baalbeck.He warned: “Either Lebanon stands and we stand united or events will erupt beyond anyone’s control, and you alone will bear the responsibility.” Occasion of Arbaeen Sheikh Qassem started his speech by talking about the occasion. He stressed that the Muslim nation is “on the path of salvation, thanks to the jihad and revolution of Imam Hussein a.s.”. He noted that people “at every milestone have to choice either to be with Imam Hussein (a.s.) or to be with Yazid.”Talking about the recent history, Sheikh Qassem said: “In the living memory, our choice is to stand with the Hussein of our era, represented by the contributions and stances of Imam Khomeini, followed by Imam Khamenei,” referring to the founder of the Islamic Revolution Imam Sayyed Rohullah Khomeini and the Supreme Leader Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei. Arbaeen Baalbeck Mass rally in the eastern city of Baalbeck to mark Arbaeen of Imam Hussein a.s. (Friday, August 15, 2025). In this context, Sheikh Qassem praised late Hezbollah leaders Sheikh Ragheb Harb, Sayyed Abbas Al-Moussawi and Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, saying they “walked the same path of Imam Khomeini and Imam Khamenei.”Talking more about confronting tyranny, Sheikh Qassem said: “We are for the liberation of Palestine and against the Yazid of the era represented by the US and Israeli tyrants.”“The Resistance today is an outgrowth of Karbala,” the Hezbollah S.G. stressed. 2006 Victory Anniversary As Arbaeen this year coincides with the nineteenth anniversary of 2006 July War, Sheikh Qassem said that the victory “was one of the blessings of Mohammadi-Alawite support, because Allah helped us despite the large number of the enemy.”“The 2006 victory deterred the enemy for 17 years and prevented it from launching an aggression for fear of the Resistance,” his eminence stated. The Hezbollah leader thanked Iran, saying that the “Islamic Republic is still on our side and will remain so, just as the flag of Resistance will remain raised.” Lebanon and Resistance Disarmament Shifting into the Lebanese affairs, Sheikh Qassem offered condolences over martyrdom of Lebanese Army soldiers in an explosion of Israeli war leftover munitions near the southern town of Zibqin. “The martyrs are those of the Resistance, the Army and the entire nation.” Meanwhile, Sheikh Qassem affirmed that the “Resistance needs no warrants,” noting that “there is no Lebanese sovereignty without the Resistance which prevent Israeli invasion and settlements as well as the naturalization of the Palestinian people in Lebanon.” In this context, the Hezbollah S.G. addressed anti-resistance parties in Lebanon: “We must ask those who don’t resist “where have you been on the Israeli aggression and occupation?”. He pointed to the facilitations the Resistance has offered so that the Lebanese Army could deploy across south Lebanon. Citing a poll by the Consultative Center for Studies and Documentation earlier this week, Sheikh Qassem stressed that the majority of Lebanese support the resistance and its continuity. Hezbollah Sheikh Naim Qassem blame the Lebanese Government on decision to disarm resistance in a speech on August 15. 2025 He lashed out at the Lebanese Government saying it “implements the US-Israeli order to end the Resistance” and “serves the Israeli scheme.”“The Lebanese Government decision on August 5th was to strip the Resistance, the people, and Lebanon of their defensive weapons during the aggression. It should have extended its control and expelled the Israelis from Lebanon.” “It’s the Government’s duty to build the country rather than handing it over to the Israeli and US enemies.”Sheikh Qassem stated that the Government “made a dangerous decision violated coexistence, and exposed the country to major crisis.” He affirmed that the Resistance “will never surrender its weapons while the aggression continues,” vowing that “we’ll fight a Karbala battle if necessary and we are confident that we’ll be victorious.”Sheikh Qassem warned that the Lebanese Government “bears full responsibility for any internal strife and for abandoning its duty to defend the land of Lebanon.”“Either Lebanon stands and we stand united or events will erupt beyond anyone’s control, and you alone will bear the responsibility,” Sheikh Qassem concluded his speech.
