Hezbollah chief says group will not surrender under threat from Israel
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem asserted that Israel needed to comply with a November ceasefire before any further discussions could be held.
BEIRUT - Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said on July 6 that his group would not surrender or lay down its weapons in response to Israeli threats, despite pressure on the Lebanese militants to disarm.
'This threat will not make us accept surrender,' he said in a televised speech to thousands of his supporters in the southern suburbs of Beirut, 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 have repeatedly vowed a state monopoly on bearing arms while demanding Israel comply with
a November ceasefire that ended the fighting .
Qassem, who succeeded longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah after Israel killed him in September, said the group's fighters would not abandon their arms and asserted that Israel's 'aggression' must first stop.
His speech came as US envoy Tom Barrack was expected in Beirut on July 7.
Lebanese authorities are due to deliver a response to Mr Barrack's request for Iran-backed Hezbollah to be disarmed by the end of the year, according to a Lebanese official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Lebanese authorities say they have been dismantling Hezbollah's military infrastructure in the south, near the Israeli border.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore First BTO project in Sembawang North to be offered in July HDB launch
Business High Court orders Instagram seller to pay Louis Vuitton $200,000 in damages over counterfeit goods
Singapore MOH studying 18 proposals to integrate TCM into public healthcare
Singapore TTSH to demolish century-old pavilion wards, keeping one as heritage marker
Asia 'Don't be seen in India again': Indian nationals pushed into Bangladesh at gunpoint
Asia Malaysian commando dies during military diving exercise off Kuantan coast
Singapore Overlooked 'glass child', the sibling of a special-needs kid
Singapore His world crashed when he got F9 in O-level Tamil but PropNex co-founder Ismail Gafoor beat the odds
Israel has continued to strike Lebanon despite the November ceasefire, claiming to hit Hezbollah targets and accusing Beirut of not doing enough to disarm the group.
According to the ceasefire agreement, Hezbollah is to pull its fighters back north of the Litani river, some 30km from the Israeli frontier.
Israel was to withdraw its troops from all of Lebanon, but has
kept them deployed in five points 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, according to the Hezbollah chief, 'will we be ready for the second stage, which is to discuss national security and defence strategy'.
Supporters dressed in black for Ashura marched through Beirut's southern suburbs before his speech, waving Hezbollah banners as well as national Lebanese, Palestinian and Iranian flags.
Some also carried posters of the slain leader Nasrallah.
In his remarks, Qassem said that 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, which was also mentioned by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, said it was 'premature' to discuss normalisation. AFP
Hashtags

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

Straits Times
27 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Indonesia pledges to buy more US wheat in bid for trade deal
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Indonesia signed a memorandum of understanding for US wheat purchases that spans this year through 2030. JAKARTA – Indonesia, the world's second-biggest wheat buyer, plans to purchase more wheat from the US as it seeks to secure a trade deal ahead of the looming tariff deadline. The South-east Asian nation signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for US wheat purchases that spans this year through 2030, Mr Franciscus Welirang, the chairman of the Indonesian Flour Mills Association – known as Aptindo – said at a ceremony on July 7 in Jakarta. The deal is valued at about US$1.25 billion (S$1.6 billion) , he said. As part of the MOU, Indonesia may buy at least 800,000 tons of wheat from the US this year, up from 740,000 tons in 2024, and a minimum of 1 million tons annually from 2026, he said. The US last sold more than 1 million tons of wheat to Indonesia in 2020, when it shipped about 1.2 million tons, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) figures show. While the new pledge marks an increase, it still represents a fraction of Indonesia's total wheat purchases. The USDA forecasts the country's imports at 12 million tons in the 2025 to 2026 season. The agreement will increase access for US wheat in Indonesia and help ensure a stable and steady market, Mr Joe Sowers, regional vice-president for South and South-east Asia for industry group US Wheat Associates, said after the signing in Jakarta. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World 25% on Japan and Malaysia, 40% on Laos: Trump's tariff letters to Asia add pressure for deals by Aug 1 Business US stocks knocked lower by tariff jitters; Musk's political plan hits Tesla World Netanyahu says has nominated Trump for Nobel Peace Prize Singapore Fastest charger to be added to Singapore's EV charging network by Q4 in 2025 Singapore Singapore's second mufti Sheikh Syed Isa Semait dies at age 87 Singapore Fewer marriages in Singapore in 2024; greater marital stability for recent unions Singapore Competition watchdog gives SIA, Malaysia Airlines conditional approval to continue cooperation Singapore Eligible S'poreans to get up to $850 in GSTV cash, up to $450 in MediSave top-ups in August Seven major wheat suppliers, including Cargill and Bunge Global SA, will participate in the market based on their price competitiveness, he said. The nation mainly buys wheat from Australia, Canada and the US, Mr Welirang said, adding that the country may import about 9.5 million tons for the flour industry this year and the rest for feed. Indonesia also plans to sign similar pledges to boost purchases of other commodities, including corn and soybeans, at an event on July 7 in Washington, according to Mr Pujo Setio, an official from the nation's Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs. BLOOMBERG

Straits Times
29 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Trump says he would love to remove Iran sanctions at the right time
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Mr Donald Trump said a recent move to remove US sanctions on Syria would help that country move forward, and he hoped a similar move could happen for Iran. WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump on July 7 said he would love to remove tough US sanctions on Iran at the right time. Mr Trump, speaking to reporters at the start of a dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said a recent move to remove US sanctions on Syria would help that country move forward, and he hoped a similar move could happen for Iran. 'I would love to be able to, at the right time, take those sanctions off, give them a chance at rebuilding, because I'd like to see Iran build itself back up in a peaceful manner, and not going around saying, 'death to America,' 'death to the USA,' 'death to Israel,' as they were doing,' he said. REUTERS

Straits Times
43 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Trump says US will send more weapons to Ukraine
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox US President Donald Trump (right) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in The Hague on June 25. WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump on July 8 said the United States will send additional weapons to Ukraine, after the White House announced a halt to some arms shipments for Kyiv the previous week. 'We're going to have to send more weapons – defensive weapons primarily,' he told journalists at the White House. 'They're getting hit very, very hard,' he said of Ukraine, while saying he is 'not happy' with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mr Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Russia's smaller neighbour in 2022 and has shown little willingness to end the conflict despite pressure from Mr Trump. Ukraine is contending with some of Russia's largest missile and drone attacks of the three-year war, and a halt to the provision of munitions posed a potentially serious challenge for Kyiv. Under former president Joe Biden, Washington committed to providing more than US$65 billion in military assistance to Ukraine. But Mr Trump – long sceptical of assistance for Ukraine – has not followed suit, announcing no new military aid packages for Kyiv since he took office in January of this year. AFP