Hezbollah Mourns Ahmad Qassas

Hezbollah held a massive funeral for Ahmad Qassas, who fell during the incident in Kahale. Ali Fahs, the head of the Cultural Activities and Communication Unit at Hezbollah, gave a speech in which he noted that “the martyrs of the resistance, including Ahmad, took up arms to defend Lebanon and the Lebanese people of all sects.” He mentioned that Ahmad Qassas participated in the liberation of the Syrian town of Maaloula and defended Christians in Syria, lighting a candle in front of the church in Maaloula “not to be rewarded with being assaulted with bullets and killed by gunmen in front of the Kahale church.” He viewed the events in Kahale as “a clear attack, where the truck could have passed normally after repairs,” and continued that “the intervention of the gunmen in this manner, at a time when communication was ongoing with the security forces to address the issue and remove the truck, is what led to this unfortunate incident.” For his part, the distinguished Jaafari Mufti Sheikh Ahmad Qablan emphasized his refusal to allow Qassas's blood to be spilled in the furnace of strife, affirming not to be dragged into discord.