Hezbollah chief: We struck Netanyahu’s home, he ‘survived this time’ but may yet be killed

In his first address after his appointment as new Hezbollah leader, Naim Qassem comments on the drone strike on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea.

“The enemy must know that its bombing of our villages and cities will not make us retreat, and the resistance is strong and was able to deliver a drone to Netanyahu’s room,” he says. The drone hit the fortified window of Netanyahu’s bedroom and caused some external damage. Netanyahu was not home at the time.

“Netanyahu survived this time, but perhaps his time has not yet come.”

He goes on to suggest that “perhaps an Israeli will kill him, perhaps during one of his speeches.”

He claims: “Our diplomatic contacts confirmed to us that Netanyahu is very afraid because we are targeting him.”

Qassem further claims that Hezbollah has recovered its capabilities and replaced many of the thousands of fighters who were injured in the pager and walkie-talkie attacks last month, and praises the terror group’s missile and drone attacks against northern and central Israel that have sent millions of Israelis into bomb shelters, as well as the deadly attack on a military base in Binyamina in which four soldiers were killed.

Addressing Hezbollah supporters inside Lebanon, Qassem says they will be rewarded for their sacrifices, and urges them to have “a little more patience.”

“Those who killed our secretary-general [Nasrallah] wanted to defeat the spirit of resistance within us and shatter the will of jihad, but his blood will continue to boil in our veins and will increase our determination to continue on this path.”