Hezbollah Says Situation Will Change After Ceasefire with Israel Ends

Mahmoud Qamati, Vice President of Hezbollah's Political Council, the group backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, claimed that Hezbollah is committed to its 60-day ceasefire with Israel, stating: "Day 61 (the day after the ceasefire ends) will be different." According to the Israeli publication "Jerusalem Post," in an interview with the Hezbollah media arm, Al-Manar, on Monday, he threatened that the group would resume military actions against Israeli forces if they did not withdraw from southern Lebanon, but did not provide further details. This threat comes as most Hezbollah officials and military commanders have been killed during Israeli military operations, and the military infrastructure of this Iran-backed group has been destroyed. Furthermore, with the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, the route for military aid from the Islamic Republic of Iran to this Lebanese militia has been cut off. In this context, Naeem Qassem, the new Secretary-General of Hezbollah, acknowledged about two weeks ago that the group has lost its main logistical supply route from Iran through Syria, and the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime has severely limited the group's capacity for rearmament after Israel's extensive attack. So far, 34 days have passed since the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. According to the ceasefire agreement, Israel must withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon, and in return, Hezbollah must retreat to the north of the Litani River, with about 5,000 Lebanese army troops stationed in the area. In his interview, Mahmoud Qamati emphasized the retention of missiles and rockets by this militia without mentioning whether Hezbollah would adhere to its commitments, adding that Hezbollah will not allow any domestic or foreign party to interfere in its arms rebuilding program. He further stated that Hezbollah's stockpiles of missiles, rockets, and drones still exist and claimed that Hezbollah's attacks on Tel Aviv brought Israel to the negotiating table. This comes at a time when prior to the heavy blows dealt by Israel to Hezbollah, the group had rejected any ceasefire and negotiations, but after the death of Hassan Nasrallah, its leader, and many of its officials and commanders, it accepted negotiations for a temporary ceasefire. This Hezbollah official also warned "some Lebanese political parties that are cooperating with Israel" without naming them, urging them to "refrain from such actions." Mahmoud Qamati noted that some of these parties provided information about specific institutions, such as the benevolent loan association, to Israel.