Hezbollah’s Qassem says Israel must leave Lebanon ‘unconditionally,’ terror group will not accept ‘normalization’

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem says Israel has “no option” but to unconditionally withdraw from Lebanese areas it occupies, and he rejected any normalization in ties between the countries.

“Israel has no option but to withdraw completely from every inch of our Lebanese land… Israel must leave unconditionally,” he says in a televised address to tens of thousands of supporters marking Ashura.

As Lebanese and Israeli officials hold direct talks in Washington, Qassem says his terror group would accept “no normalization, no cancellation of the state of hostility, no gains for Israel, and no partial presence on Lebanese soil… Israel must leave humiliated and defeated, and that is what will happen.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.