New Hezbollah Leader Emphasizes Continuation of 'War Policy'

The new leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon, on the fortieth day following the death of former Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, stated that his group has 'tens of thousands of prepared and trained fighters' and that 'no part of Israel is safe from attack.' Naim Qassem, in a pre-recorded speech released on Wednesday, November 16, also emphasized that 'there are no limitations on attacks against Israel' and that the results of the U.S. elections will not affect any potential peace agreement. He reiterated his previous statements about continuing Hezbollah's 'war policy,' asserting that what will stop the war between Israel and Hezbollah is the battlefield itself. Since Qassem's first speech last week, Hezbollah has intensified its missile attacks on Israel. Diplomatic negotiations mediated by the U.S. and France to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah have so far failed. Hezbollah, supported by the Islamic Republic, began missile attacks on Israel the day after Hamas's bloody incursion into Israeli territory on October 7 last year, which ultimately led to extensive Israeli operations against the group's positions and commanders in Lebanon. Netanyahu stated that the implementation and oversight of a ceasefire with Lebanon must be in Israel's hands. These attacks have resulted in over three thousand deaths, a significant portion of which occurred in recent weeks. In this context, local officials in the Baalbek region of Lebanon reported at least 38 deaths during Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday. Israel also conducted four airstrikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut on the same day, with no reports of casualties from these attacks yet. Hours later, Hezbollah announced that it had launched its attack drones at a base in southern Tel Aviv in Israel, 'for the first time targeting this military position.' Hezbollah stated that its members had, for the first time, 'deployed a squadron of attack drones to the Bilow base (belonging to the reserve paratrooper brigade) in southern Tel Aviv.' Amid the ongoing clashes, the Lebanese government announced that it had filed a complaint with the International Labour Organization, a UN agency, regarding the deadly explosions two months ago, stating that workers were among the dead and injured. According to Lebanese officials, the explosions of the drones that occurred in grocery stores, homes, and streets resulted in at least 37 deaths, including two children, and injured three thousand people, including Lebanese who have no affiliation with Hezbollah. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the explosion of thousands of drones used by Hezbollah two months ago. The Lebanese government claims that, in addition to the fighters, the explosive drones have harmed workers in Hezbollah's civilian institutions, including healthcare and media. Mustafa Bayram, Lebanon's Minister of Labour, along with some officials from the country, submitted a complaint against Israel regarding the drone explosions to the International Labour Organization in Geneva on Tuesday.