Hezbollah leader: Trump and Netanyahu were defeated in elections, a positive development for us

‘The one confronting Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen… has lost,’ Naim Qassem says of US president, while claiming PM ‘has been broken’

By Nurit Yohanan

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and Agencies Today, 3:42 am

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Supporters of Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah watch a televised address on a big screen by Naim Qassem, the head of the Iran-backed terrorist group, during the commemoration of Hezbollah’s annual Martyrs’ Day in Beirut’s southern suburbs on November 11, 2026. (Joseph Eid/AFP)

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem celebrated the recent election setbacks suffered by both US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which he described as a boon for his Iran-backed terrorist group.

Qassem added that although Israel and the United States pursued the same policies, both leaders suffered electoral defeats, and “this is a positive development for us.”

“Today, we have a good opportunity. Trump was defeated in the elections… an earthquake has occurred in America,” Qassem said in a “Martyrs’ Day” speech broadcast live to supporters.

“The one confronting Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen… has lost,” he added, arguing that Trump could “no longer continue as is.”

“His defeat has ramifications for us that are in a way positive.”

He also said Netanyahu “has been broken” after his coalition lost its parliamentary majority in last month’s elections, while claiming “Israel wants to disarm Lebanon in order to occupy it” and reiterating that Hezbollah will not give up its weapons.

Supporters of Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah wave flags of the Iran-backed terrorist group as they attend a Martyrs’ Day ceremony in Beirut’s southern suburbs on November 11, 2026. (Joseph Eid/AFP)

Hezbollah, which once dominated political life in Lebanon, has been weakened by two wars it waged against Israel since it began launching attacks in solidarity with Hamas after the Palestinian terror organization’s October 7, 2023, invasion from Gaza.

Most recently, Hezbollah pulled Lebanon into the war with Iran on March 2 in support of its Iranian patrons, prompting massive Israeli airstrikes and a subsequent ground invasion of southern Lebanon before an agreement to end the conflict was reached in June, though sporadic fighting has continued.

The negotiations have been hampered by Hezbollah’s refusal to comply with the deal, which calls for the IDF to withdraw from areas of southern Lebanon it held in parallel with the deployment of the Lebanese army, starting with so-called pilot zones, under the condition that Hezbollah disarms. But the Iran-backed terror group has refused to do so.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.