Hezbollah chief urges Saudi Arabia to unite against Israeli aggression

Naim Qassem, the secretary-general of Hezbollah, has urged Saudi Arabia to repair relations with the Lebanese armed group and establish a common defense against Israel.

The Hezbollah leader’s remarks on Friday come as Israel continues to attack the south of Lebanon.

Qassem urged Saudi Arabia to “open a new page” with Hezbollah on the basis of three tenets: dialogue to resolve disputes and address concerns, acknowledgment that Israel is the enemy and “freezing of past disagreements.”

He argued that Israel, not Lebanon, not Saudi Arabia, and not any other country or country in the world, is the only country that the resistance’s weapons target are.

Qassem warned that if the resistance were to be eliminated, “the turn will turn for the other states,” and that pressure on Israel would only be beneficial.

Saudi Arabia and Hezbollah have been at odds with one another for years, which is a part of the wider, more recent conflict between Riyadh and Iran, Hezbollah’s main supporter.

Hezbollah was referred to as a “terrorist” by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) under the leadership of Saudi Arabia in 2016, citing its support of Yemen’s Houthis and its involvement in the Syrian civil war.

Genocide “turned into a solution.”

Qassem characterized Israel as a colonial outpost, accusing it of reaching “the height of barbarism,” committing crimes with US support and breaking international law, and calling it a colonial outpost.

Qassem claimed that “genocide became the solution when soft war, sanctions, and the Abraham Accords” failed to achieve the swift and decisive victory that Israel and the US sought.

He continued, noting that “what follows the strike on Qatar is different from what follows,” and that Israel’s September 9 strike on Qatar marked a turning point.

How can we trust any American or non-American proposal or accept to make concession after concession when the US publicly declares that it acts in Israel’s interests? he continued.

Under the terms of a ceasefire agreement that was broken in November 2024, the US has been pressing Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah.

Qassem stated that the organization is “open to dialogue from a position of strength,” stressing that it is “unshakable” and aims to liberate land and oust Israeli forces.

In response to the Israeli attack on Qatar, Qassem appeals to Saudi Arabia two days after Riyadh and Pakistan, which has nuclear weapons, signed a mutual defense agreement.

One killed in an Israeli attack

In addition, the Lebanese Ministry of Health reported on Friday that an Israeli drone struck a car in the southern Lebanonese town of Tebnin, killing one person and injuring three others. The incident has not yet been addressed by the Israeli army.

Israel targeted and bombed several southern cities the day before the Tebnin attack and urged residents to leave.

Nawaf Salam, the leader of Lebanon, accused Israel of “intimidation and aggressions” that violated the world’s framework for monitoring it and the ceasefire that was last year.

Israel has continued to strike southern Lebanon almost daily despite the ceasefire.

According to the terms of the agreement, Israel is supposed to completely seize Lebanese territory while Hezbollah is supposed to disarm and move north of the Litani River.