
Hezbollah chief says won't surrender under Israeli threats
His speech came ahead of a visit expected Monday by US envoy Thomas Barrack during which Lebanese authorities are due to respond to a request to disarm Hezbollah by year's end, according to a Lebanese official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"This (Israeli) threat will not make us accept surrender," Qassem said in a televised speech to thousands of his supporters in Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, during the Shiite Muslim religious commemoration of Ashura.
Lebanese leaders who took office in the aftermath of a war between Israel and Hezbollah last year that left the Iran-backed group severely weakened have repeatedly vowed a state monopoly on bearing arms, while demanding Israel comply with a November ceasefire that sought to end the hostilities.
Qassem, who succeeded longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah after an Israeli strike killed him in September, said the group's fighters would not abandon their arms and asserted that Israel's "aggression" must first stop.
Israel has continued to strike Lebanon despite the November ceasefire, saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites and operatives and accusing Beirut of not doing enough to disarm the group.
Lebanese authorities say they have been dismantling Hezbollah's military infrastructure in the south, near the Israeli border.
- 'Not now, not later' -
Under the ceasefire, Hezbollah was to pull its fighters back north of the Litani river, some 30 kilometres from the Israeli frontier.
Israel was to withdraw its troops from Lebanon, but has kept them deployed in five areas that it deemed strategic.
Qassem said Israel must abide by the ceasefire agreement, "withdraw from the occupied territories, stop its aggression... release the prisoners" detained during last year's war, and that reconstruction in Lebanon must begin.
Only then "will we be ready for the second stage, which is to discuss the national security and defence strategy" which includes the issue of group's disarmament, he added.
Supporters dressed in black for Ashura marched through Beirut's southern suburbs before his speech, waving Hezbollah banners as well as the Lebanese, Palestinian and Iranian flags.
Some also carried posters of the slain leader Nasrallah.
Hussein Jaber, 28, originally from south Lebanon, said the group's weapons "can't be handed over, not now, not later. Those who think Hezbollah will turn in its arms are ignorant."
In his speech, Qassem also said his movement "will not accept normalisation... with the Israeli enemy", after Israel's top diplomat said his government was "interested" in such a move.
Lebanon, which is technically still at war with Israel, did not comment.
Syria, also mentioned by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, said it was "premature" to discuss normalisation.
- 'No pilgrims -
Shiites in other countries around the region were also marking Ashura, which commemorates the death of the Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, in a seventh century battle in modern-day Iraq.
Iraq saw the largest commemorations on Sunday, particularly in the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala.
In south Lebanon, hundreds of people participated in commemorations in Nabatiyeh, an area regularly targeted by Israeli strikes.
Local resident Ali Mazraani told AFP that there were fewer people than usual "because of the situation in the south and the Israeli strikes that destroyed the market and several areas of the city".
In Sunni Muslim majority Syria, several hundred faithful marked Ashura under the protection of security forces at the Sayyida Zeinab shrine south of Damascus, an AFP correspondent said.
Syria's Shiite minority has been worried since Sunni Islamists in December toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, who was backed by Iran.
Unlike in previous years, there were no processions in the Sayyida Zeinab area, where pro-Iran groups used to be heavily entrenched before Assad's ouster.
"The Syrian state has bolstered its protection at this time," said Jaafar al-Amine, an official at the holy site.
"This year, there have been no pilgrims from other countries" like Iran, Iraq or Lebanon, he added.
By Kamal Mehanna With Bakr Alkasem In Damascus

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


eNCA
41 minutes ago
- eNCA
BRICS' criticism brings Trump 10% tariff threat
US President Donald Trump threatened China, India, and some of the world's fastest-emerging economies with higher import tariffs, hitting back at BRICS' criticism of his trade policies as the bloc meets Monday. The 11-nation grouping -- which also includes US allies Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia -- is concluding a two-day summit in Rio de Janeiro. On Sunday, BRICS leaders described Trump's stop-start tariff wars as "indiscriminate", damaging, and illegal, drawing a quick rebuke from the pugilistic US president. "Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy," Trump wrote on social media. BRICS members account for about half the world's population and 40 percent of global economic output. Conceived two decades ago as a forum for fast-growing economies, the BRICS have come to be seen as a Chinese-driven counterbalance to US influence. But it is an expanding and often divergent grouping -- bringing together arch US foes like Iran and Russia, with some of Washington's closest allies in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Some US allies inside the bloc had tried to blunt criticism by not mentioning Trump by name in their summit statement. Saudi Arabia -- one of the world's biggest purchasers of US high-tech weapons -- even kept its foreign minister away from Sunday's talks and a BRICS "family photo" of leaders, seemingly to avoid Washington's ire. But such diplomatic gestures were lost on the US president. In April, Trump threatened a slew of punitive duties, before backing off in the face of a fierce market sell-off. Now he is threatening to impose unilateral levies on trading partners unless they reach "deals" by August 1, with BRICS nations seemingly getting higher tariffs than planned. It cannot have helped that BRICS leaders also condemned the recent US and Israeli bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities -- a show of solidarity with fellow member Iran. Beijing on Monday insisted BRICS was not seeking confrontation with the United States. "China has repeatedly stated its position that trade and tariff wars have no winners and protectionism offers no way forward," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said. Beijing also defended the bloc as "an important platform for cooperation between emerging markets and developing countries". "It advocates openness, inclusivity, and win-win cooperation," Mao said. "It does not engage in camp confrontation and is not targeted at any country," she said. The political punch of this year's summit has been depleted by the absence of China's Xi Jinping, who skipped the meeting for the first time in his 12 years as president. The Chinese leader is not the only notable absentee. Russian President Vladimir Putin, charged with war crimes in Ukraine, also opted to stay away, participating via video link. He told counterparts that BRICS had become a key player in global governance. By Andrew Beatty


The Citizen
an hour ago
- The Citizen
Israel, Hamas due to resume indirect talks ahead of Netanyahu-Trump meet
Israel and Hamas resume indirect talks in Doha, with Trump expressing optimism for a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange deal. A Palestinian boy searches for things to rescue at a garbage waste dump in the Al-Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip on July 7, 2025. Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas towards a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip have started in Qatar, a Palestinian official familiar with the talks told AFP late on July 6. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP) Israel and Hamas were due to resume indirect talks in Qatar on Monday, according to a Palestinian official, ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting in Washington with President Donald Trump, who is pushing for a deal. The latest round of negotiations on the war in Gaza began on Sunday in Doha, aiming to broker a ceasefire and reach an agreement on the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. A Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations told AFP indirect talks were due to resume Monday between Hamas and Israeli delegations. As of 1230 GMT there was no confirmation the talks had begun, however. Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, the official said the delegations had exchanged views on Sunday via mediators, with representatives of the two sides seated in different rooms in the same building. Ahead of Netanyahu's third visit since Trump's return to office this year, the US president said there was a 'good chance we have a deal with Hamas… during the coming week'. ALSO READ: Hamas says ready to start Gaza ceasefire talks 'immediately' 'We've gotten a lot of the hostages out, but pertaining to the remaining hostages, quite a few of them will be coming out,' he told journalists. Netanyahu, speaking before heading to Washington, said his meeting with Trump could 'definitely help advance this' deal. The US president is pushing for a truce in the Gaza Strip, reeling from a humanitarian crisis after nearly two years of war. Netanyahu said he dispatched the team to the Qatari capital with 'clear instructions' to reach an agreement 'under the conditions that we have agreed to'. He previously said Hamas's response to a draft US-backed ceasefire proposal, conveyed through Qatari and Egyptian mediators, contained 'unacceptable' demands. 'Important mission' Two Palestinian sources close to the discussions had earlier told AFP the proposal included a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and several bodies in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel. ALSO READ: Israel bombs café during children's birthday party in Gaza — 39 killed However, they said, the group was also demanding certain conditions for Israel's withdrawal, guarantees against a resumption of fighting during negotiations, and the return of the UN-led aid distribution system. Netanyahu has an 'important mission' in Washington, 'advancing a deal to bring all our hostages home', said Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Trump is not scheduled to meet the Israeli premier until 2230 GMT Monday, the White House said, without the usual presence of journalists. Of the 251 hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Since Hamas's October 2023 attack sparked the massive Israeli offensive, mediators have brokered two temporary halts in the fighting. They have seen hostages freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody. Recent efforts to broker a new truce have repeatedly failed, with the primary point of contention being Israel's rejection of Hamas's demand for a lasting ceasefire. ALSO READ: Cyril must seize opportunity 'Can't take this anymore' In Gaza, the territory's civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed at least 12 people on Monday, including six in a clinic housing people displaced by the war. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment. Salman Qudum, who told AFP he had survived the attack on the clinic in Gaza City, said: 'We don't know where to go or what to do.' Qudum said the negotiators and mediators in Doha must 'apply pressure' to secure a ceasefire 'because the people can't take this anymore'. In a statement on Monday, the military said it had struck 'dozens of terrorists, weapons depots, observation posts, military buildings and other terror infrastructures' across Gaza over the past 24 hours. ALSO READ: Iran voices 'serious doubts' over Israel commitment to ceasefire The war has created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip. A US- and Israel-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), took the lead in food distribution in the territory in late May, when Israel partially lifted a more than two-month blockade on aid deliveries. But its operations have had a chaotic rollout, with repeated reports of aid seekers killed near its facilities while awaiting rations. Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 57 523 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers the figures reliable. – By: © Agence France-Presse


Daily Maverick
3 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Israel launches first strikes on Yemen in weeks, Houthis retaliate with aerial attack
By Yomna Ehab and Mohammed Ghobari The strikes hit the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa and Salif, as well as the Ras Qantib power plant on the coast, in response to repeated Houthi attacks on Israel, the military said. Hours later, Israel said two missiles were launched from Yemen. Attempts were made to intercept them, though the results were still under review. The Iran-aligned Houthi forces said they had fired missiles and drones at multiple targets in Israel in retaliation for the strikes on Yemen. The Israeli ambulance service said it had not received any calls regarding missile impacts or casualties following the launches from Yemen. Since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, the Houthis have fired at Israel and at shipping in the Red Sea, disrupting global trade, in what the group says are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians. Most of the dozens of missiles and drones fired toward Israel have been intercepted or fallen short. Israel has carried out a series of retaliatory strikes. Israel said its attacks on Monday also targeted a ship, the Galaxy Leader, which was seized by the Houthis in late 2023 and held in Ras Isa port. 'The Houthi terrorist regime's forces installed a radar system on the ship, and are using it to track vessels in international maritime space in order to promote the Houthi terrorist regime's activities,' the military said. The Houthi military spokesperson said the group's air defences had responded to the Israeli attack with 'a large number of domestically produced surface-to-air missiles'. Israel's military told residents to evacuate the three ports before it launched its attacks. Residents of Hodeidah told Reuters that the strikes on the power station had knocked out electricity. There was no immediate information on casualties. The Israeli assault comes hours after a ship was attacked off of Hodeidah and the ship's crew abandoned it as it took on water. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but security firm Ambrey said the vessel fit the typical profile of a Houthi target. The Houthis, who control northern Yemen including the capital Sanaa, are one of the last pro-Iran armed groups still standing in the Middle East after Israel severely hurt other allies of Tehran: Lebanon's Hezbollah, the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Iran itself in a 12-day air war last month. Under the direction of leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the group has grown into an army of tens of thousands of fighters and acquired armed drones and ballistic missiles. Saudi Arabia and the West say the arms come from Iran, though Tehran denies this.