Hezbollah’s Naim Qassem stresses Lebanese agenda amid domestic criticism

As Israel unleashes widespread destruction across Lebanon, many of Hezbollah’s critics have accused the group of dragging the country into another unnecessary war to the benefit of Iran. Qassem had that audience in mind when he spoke today. He stressed that while responding to the killing of Iran’s Ali Khamenei was one of the reasons for Hezbollah’s attack against Israel, the main concern has been protecting Lebanon against near-daily Israeli abuses. The Hezbollah chief cited his previous warnings that the group’s patience against Israeli attacks that had gone without response for 15 months would eventually run out.