Sheikh Naim Qassem, the Deputy Secretary-General of "Hezbollah," spoke during a memorial event for martyrs "On the Road to Jerusalem" - Hassan Terams, Hussein Haraisi, and Ahmad Terams. He addressed "three no's," stating: "No retreat from support, no submission to threats, and no discussion about the future of the South on both banks, except after the war on Gaza stops." He added, "Regarding our front in Lebanon, we declared from the beginning that it is a supportive front for the Palestinian resistance, for the people of Gaza, for the people of the West Bank, and for all Palestinians. This supportive confrontation cannot cease if the war on Gaza does not end completely. If some in the world fear the repercussions, difficulties, and complications in the region, we say start from Gaza because Gaza is the solution, and there is no other solution for this tense situation in the region."
He continued, "As for Israel's aggression against civilians in Lebanon, we will not leave any aggression against civilians unanswered, and we will respond appropriately. We will declare this, knowing that our response is for the sake of civilians, even if our current rules of engagement, which we choose and decide, are to limit confrontation in the South to confer benefits to Gaza without using all the power we have to preserve it for the right time. If that right time comes against our will at any moment, we will be fully prepared for any confrontation, no matter how great, and we will teach the Israelis lessons they will never forget, and the lessons of 2006 will be elementary compared to the lessons they will see in the next confrontation."
He concluded: "We respond proportionately, and our choice is to support Gaza while continuing to deter the enemy through this support. This limited level of confrontation is what we see as beneficial; however, let it be clear that we have three no's: First, no retreat from supporting Gaza as long as aggression continues, no matter the cost or developments. Second, we will not submit to threats or intimidation from Israelis or Westerners, no matter what, because we are the people of the battlefield, and we consider defense a duty; without it, there is no stability, nor existence for us in this region, nor for the Palestinian cause. Third, there is no discussion regarding the future of South Lebanon on both banks concerning Palestine and Lebanon until the complete aggression against Gaza ceases. At that point, discussions will take place, and all the discussions happening now and all the proposals being made are merely time-wasting or trivial pursuits, as we are not concerned with them in any way."
