Sheikh Naeem Qassem, the Deputy Secretary-General of "Hezbollah," delivered a speech at a meeting with preachers, stating: "Today, we are in the atmosphere of Ashura, commemorating the fortieth anniversary of Imam Hussein. The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon has shone on the path of Hussein for forty years filled with sacrifices, achievements, and victories, and this is a success from God Almighty, affirming that the approach of Imam Hussein is the victorious path."
He noted that "the opportunity to form a government has not been missed; the current government can be utilized as a starting point for forming a new government, especially since the forces participating in this government are the same forces that will form the next government during this term. So what has changed? Just as we selected this group of officials and ministers, they can be maintained or slightly adjusted to accomplish the government formation instead of building excessive hopes and expectations upon it. The same formation of the government is a step forward that will help facilitate the election of a president, especially since the government’s time frame is short. Thus, there is no need to complicate the conditions and demands because the interest of the country in forming a government and holding presidential elections on time is higher, more important, and better in this regard."
He added: "We now have a new parliamentary council where none of the deputies or blocs can describe themselves as either the ruling party or the opposition since it is assumed that the term will end soon. Thus, this parliamentary council will choose a new president and government, opening a new page within the country. We consider that those wanting solutions should open up to the different parliamentary forces in the country to find common ground, and dialogue should be the foundation for agreeing on the president and how to build the country’s future. Those who throw accusations and focus on confrontational options are obstructing the country, and they will not achieve successes and will be a reason for the decline affecting this country, in addition to other reasons represented by America, corruption, and the corrupt who have brought us to our current situation."
He asserted that "the displays of challenge by some will be of no benefit; they are noise without value. Whoever can gather as many deputies as possible to agree on a president is welcome so that we can move to a new phase."
Sheikh Qassem continued: "Finally, the time has passed when Lebanon had to beg for its rights. We have spent 12 years trying to obtain our oil, gas, and maritime rights while the Israeli has completely disregarded us and imposed the conditions he wanted. Therefore, we will not reach a solution. Now, Lebanon is negotiating from a position of strength, justice, unity of stance, and readiness to face challenges. We, as Lebanese, know what we want regarding our rights in our seas, oil, and gas, while the enemy wants what it desires in the Karish field of oil and gas. Now, this enemy cannot obtain what it wants if we are denied our rights and what we seek; this balance is very important. Lebanon wants its oil and gas rights in full."
