Full text of the speech by Sheikh Naim Qassem, Secretary-General of Hezbollah, delivered on March 13, 2026, on the occasion of International Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day.

Source: naimkassem.com.lb

Translation: Resistance News

  • International Al-Quds Day
  • 15 Months of Israeli Aggression
  • Hezbollah’s New Strategy Against Israel
  • Tribute to the Fighters and People of the Resistance
  • Netanyahu’s Threats and Censorship about Israeli casualties
  • Hezbollah Is in a Defensive Position
  • The Lebanese Government Must Stop Making Concessions to Israel

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds. May prayers and peace be upon the noblest of creation, our master, our beloved, and our guide, Abu al-Qasim Muhammad, as well as upon the people of his House, pure and immaculate, upon his virtuous and chosen companions, and upon all the prophets and the righteous until the Day of Judgment. May peace, God’s mercy, and His blessings be upon you.

Today, we will discuss Al-Quds Day, as well as the political situation surrounding us.

International Al-Quds Day

Let us begin with Al-Quds Day: it is the day proclaimed by Imam Khomeini (may God sanctify his noble soul) following the victory of the blessed Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979. He designated it to be observed on the last Friday of the blessed month of Ramadan, during the Nights of Decree (Layali al-Qadr). This day, imbued with spirituality and faith, expresses support for the oppressed, the aspiration of peoples to independence, and belief in human freedom, irrespective of any pressure or attempts to divert them from this exalted cause.

Our Imam Khomeini (may God sanctify his noble soul) declared: “Al-Quds Day is a global day that is not limited to Al-Quds; it is the day when the oppressed confront the arrogant [imperialists], the day when peoples crushed under the yoke of injustice—American or otherwise—imposed by the great powers rise up against them.” This day thus carries a symbolic meaning in the call for the Liberation of Palestine, and its scope extends to all the oppressed of the world, so that they may free themselves from the yoke of servitude and injustice.

Today, the occupation of Palestine and Al-Quds constitutes the greatest injustice in the world. It is the United States and the major powers that have supported this occupation, that created this cancerous entity and legitimized it in 1948.

The current war in Palestine, the confrontation with the Israeli enemy, and the expansionism exercised by this Israeli-American enemy in the region and across the world are, in reality, the consequences of this malignant implantation, which has prevented the region from knowing stability for more than seventy years and will continue to do so as long as it endures. The consequences of the liberation of Palestine would be a significant step for the well-being of all peoples, while the continued occupation of Palestine and Al-Quds likewise entails harmful and negative repercussions on a global scale.

When we commemorate Al-Quds Day, it means we affirm that the Palestinians are not alone and that responsibility is collective. The Palestinian people have made immense sacrifices. During the most recent confrontation with the Israeli enemy, through Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood,” which lasted more than two years, the Palestinian people of Gaza alone suffered [at least] 260,000 dead and wounded—men, children, and women—as well as the massive destruction of the Gaza Strip, the genocide that took place there, and the annihilation of life carried out by Israel under the direct protection of the United States and the West.

The stance of Imam Khomeini (may God sanctify his soul) marked a decisive turning point—a turning point that breathed new life into the Palestinian cause and led us into a new phase in which the possibility of liberation can now be envisioned.

Believers are the first to be concerned, and their support for Palestine is a testimony of faith. We, in Hezbollah and the Islamic Resistance, will remain at the side of Palestine; we will support and stand with it toward total liberation. Hezbollah and the Resistance fighters in Lebanon supported Gaza [by opening a front in southern Lebanon as of October 8, 2023] and [during] the “Battle of the Mighty Ones” [the Hezbollah-Israel war from September to November 2024]; they made immense sacrifices, foremost among them the Master of the Martyrs of the Ummah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah (may God the Most High and Exalted be pleased with him), who fell as a martyr on the path of Palestine, of truth, of Al-Quds, of faith, and of humanity; as well as Sayyed Hashemi [Hashem Safi al-Din], the commanders, the martyrs, the wounded, and all those who committed themselves and made sacrifices along this path to defend the truth and support Al-Quds.

The Constellation of Hezbollah Figures Who Fell as Martyrs for Gaza

All Arab and Islamic peoples bear a responsibility to stand alongside Al-Quds and Palestine; all free people of the world share this responsibility as well. In doing so, they stand for themselves, they work toward the liberation of their own presence on this earth, and they oppose the unjust and the tyrants who have left no one in the world untouched by oppression, confrontation, or tyranny.

We reaffirm that we stand with Al-Quds—for its liberation—and for the call to unite all into a single front, alongside the greatness embodied by Islamic Iran, which has offered its most sacred and precious possessions for Palestine and for the cause of liberation. Among the latest sacrifices made by Islamic Iran—and which it continues to make—is the martyrdom of the Imam, Grand Ayatollah Sayed Khamenei (may God sanctify his noble soul), who gave all that he possessed and ascended to God the Most High alongside the righteous martyrs, as well as all the sacrifices made in Islamic Iran for this great central cause around which we must all rally.

15 Months of Israeli Aggression

Let us turn to the political situation, which I will address in several points.

First, in Lebanon, we are engaged in a battle of legitimate self-defense to confront brutal Israeli-American aggression. We are facing a savage and dangerous assault that constitutes an existential threat in the fullest sense of the term. This aggression did not cease after the [November 2024] ceasefire agreement; it persisted for a full fifteen months. Its intensity may have decreased, but within the framework of a strategy aimed at continuing the aggression in order to achieve its objectives through Lebanese hands [by forcing the Aoun–Salman government to dismantle Hezbollah], while avoiding direct confrontation and its consequences.

Thus, we have never been in a normal or peaceful situation, but rather confronted with a barbaric campaign that has continued for fifteen months.

We issued warnings on several occasions, stating that this situation could not continue indefinitely, that ongoing aggression could not remain unanswered, and that patience has its limits. I say this with complete frankness: on three occasions, during [Hezbollah] leadership meetings, we examined the possibility of responding to the aggression, but we judged that the timing was not appropriate. We were convinced of the need to grant an additional opportunity, and that conditions were not yet favorable—especially as several parties were urging us to give the political track more time.

Over the past month, the debate in Israel has focused on the necessity of launching a large-scale operation against Lebanon, but the question concerned timing: should the attack come before the aggression against Iran, after it, or simultaneously?

In light of developments following the aggression against Iran, and after the martyrdom of Imam Khamenei (may God sanctify his soul), we concluded that the conditions were now in place to confront this enemy: on the one hand, it has been attacking us for fifteen months with no sign of stopping; on the other, it has assassinated our Imam and our leader; and finally, the simultaneity of the battle with what is unfolding vis-à-vis Islamic Iran enables us to weaken the enemy’s capabilities and compel it toward a more favorable agreement.

It was this combination of factors that led us to decide to respond.

In reality, the [first] missile salvo [launched by Hezbollah on March 2, 2026, ending 15 months of restraint] exposed Israel’s plan, which it immediately put into action; it would likely have done so a day or two later in any case. The issue is not who initiated the fighting, but rather the fact that we are facing an aggression that has lasted fifteen months, an occupation of several positions in Lebanon, and an ongoing assault that must be confronted.

We therefore acted in self-defense. Some say: “You provoked the enemy with that [rocket] barrage.” Does that mean that fifteen months of aggression do not constitute provocation? That five hundred (Lebanese) martyrs, hundreds of wounded, destruction, occupation, and prisoners do not amount to provocation in your view? So all of that would not be considered provocation, and only our response would be?

In any case, we consider ourselves to be acting in legitimate self-defense.

Having realized that this operation could prove protracted, we decided to name it “The Battle of the Devoured Straw” [al-‘Asf al-Ma’koul]. We are therefore engaged in this battle, which constitutes a defense of Lebanon, our dignity, and our land, and a confrontation with the Israeli enemy. This designation refers to the [Quranic] Surah of the People of the Elephant:

“Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the People of the Elephant?
Did He not render their scheme utterly futile,
and send against them flocks of birds
that pelted them with stones of baked clay,
and made them like devoured straw?”

God willing, such will be the fate of the Israeli enemy.

Let this be clear: the battle we are waging (the Battle of the Devoured Straw) is that of the Resistance in Lebanon and of the people of the Resistance in the face of Israeli aggression against Lebanon. Certainly, other factors are involved, but they do not alter the fact that this battle is ours and is not being waged in the service of anyone else. It is a Lebanese battle, grounded in legitimate self-defense, in which everyone must take part.

Hezbollah’s New Strategy Toward Israel

Second, diplomatic action in Lebanon has failed spectacularly. The Lebanese government has been unable either to ensure sovereignty or to protect its citizens. In the context of this aggression, the Israeli enemy is now resorting to the killing of civilians, the forced displacement of populations, and the destruction of homes in a brutal, criminal, and extremely dangerous manner. It has even targeted al-Qard al-Hassan, a civilian institution [providing interest-free loans to the most disadvantaged], as well as residential areas, completely emptying villages and towns under the pretext of fighting the Resistance. In reality, it is not fighting the Resistance: it is killing civilians and destroying lives. This is, in any case, a typical example of Israeli conduct. In such a situation, there is no solution other than Resistance; otherwise, Lebanon would be doomed to disappear.

For the record, as the Resistance, we have learned the lessons of the Battle of the Mighty Ones, which deprived the enemy of military targets. Today, the Resistance confronts it by targeting its soldiers through mobile tactics, without fixed positions. When it threatens a ground invasion, we respond: this is not a threat, but the announcement of one of the many failures it will encounter. Indeed, every time there has been an advance or an attempted invasion, the Resistance fighters, thanks to their mobility on the ground, have managed to achieve successes and secure results by confronting this enemy at close quarters.

That is why we assert that the enemy no longer has the capacity to achieve its objectives. And when Katz declares, “If the Lebanese government does not control Hezbollah, we will control the ground,” we reply: no one is standing in your way. Go ahead, take control of the ground, and we shall see. Will you be able to establish a lasting presence there? Will you be able to maintain your occupation? Will you be able to entrench yourselves there? You cannot, and you will not be able to, in the face of this Resistance, this People, this Army, this homeland, and the men of honor of our country, Lebanon. You will not be able to.

Today, when Prime Minister Netanyahu declares that Lebanon must take a stand and strike Hezbollah, failing which Israel will target infrastructure, this amounts to asking them to turn against their own people. Since you claim to have the capability, why demand that the government act? You are already committing enough crimes. This only reveals the futility of your actions.

Third, we have prepared for a long-term confrontation, and, by the grace of God, they will encounter surprises on the ground. The enemy’s threats do not frighten us; he will witness our strength. Know that the fervor of the youth of the Islamic Resistance is of extreme intensity, rising to the level of divine love and total devotion to the cause of Almighty God. These young people are ready for martyrdom; they do not fear death and rush toward battle and confrontation.

Tribute to the Fighters and the People of the Resistance

I have received your message, O mujahideen: you are the salt of the earth and the mercy of heaven, the banners of glory and the hope of the future. Persevere with the blessing of God the Most High, and you shall succeed, by the grace of the Most High (who has promised us): “It is Our duty to support the believers.” [Quran, 30:47]

We are strongest through our faith in Almighty God. God has said: “O Prophet, urge the believers to fight. If there are among you twenty who are steadfast, they will overcome two hundred; and if there are a hundred, they will overcome a thousand of the disbelievers, for they are a people who do not understand.” [Quran, 8:65]. One of us is equal to ten of them: such is the strength of faith—a real strength. We are strongest through our faith in God, through our will, through our support for the truth, and through our steadfastness. God has said: “O you who believe! If you support God, He will support you and make your footing firm.” [Quran, 47:7]. We support the truth, we support the Lord of the Worlds, we support this cause; that is why our steps will be made firm, God willing, in accordance with His promise.

We are also strong through the means at our disposal. God has not burdened us beyond our capacity. He says: “Prepare against them whatever force and cavalry you can muster to strike fear into the enemy of God and your enemy, and others besides them whom you do not know but whom God knows.” [Quran, 9:60]. This means that we must prepare, and we have prepared what we could. Thus, our strength rests on three fundamental and inseparable elements: (1) our faith in God, (2) our resolve and our support for the truth, (3) the means we have prepared. This is what is incumbent upon us, and we are fulfilling our duty. We know that there is no balance in terms of military power, but we do not confront them solely on that field: we confront them through these three sources of strength—faith, will, and capability. And we are stronger still through our right and our land.

When they kill civilians, their aim is to drive the people away from the Resistance. But they will not succeed. These men and women, committed to the path of the Resistance—those who have offered their children for this cause, those who raise their children in dignity, honor, moral strength, and attachment to the future and to the land—these are the people of the Resistance, of honor, pride, and dignity. Those who have given what is most precious to them, namely their children, and their leader, Sayyed Hassan (Nasrallah), may God have mercy on him, will remain steadfast, God willing. If the Israelis think that by displacing them they will turn them against us, let them go and listen to what these displaced people say: “Stand firm, we are with you. We consider exile a contribution to the success of the Resistance. Put your trust in God (and press forward); we do not wish to turn back.” The displaced and the refugees are in a position of sacrifice and contribution, and they accept it with conviction. Indeed, we suffer from this displacement, especially during the blessed month of Ramadan and in winter. Our loved ones know that we share their suffering: we are of them, and they are of us. But endurance is the path to overcoming this trial.

O you, our honorable compatriots, who endure with patience, what you are accomplishing is a sign heralding strength and victory. I would like here to thank all those—communities, regions, official institutions—who have helped to welcome and support the displaced. By God’s grace, this will be a source of pride for them all, and victory will belong to all those who have contributed to and taken part in this exceptional historical moment.

Netanyahu’s Threats and Censorship about Israeli casualties

Yesterday, I heard that Netanyahu was threatening to have me assassinated, thinking that this might frighten me.

O Netanyahu, Imam Ali, peace be upon him, said: “The Decree suffices as a guardian.” This means: I am protected by the moment God has decreed for my death; when it comes, no one can prevent it, and until it comes, no one can hasten it. Your threat is therefore futile and without value. Attend rather to your own situation. According to our verses and traditions, whoever spreads corruption on earth prepares his own downfall: “Pharaoh exalted himself in the land and divided its people into factions, oppressing some of them, slaughtering their sons and sparing their women. He was among the corrupters.” [Quran, 28:4] Netanyahu is among the corrupters, as are those who act like him. And what is the outcome? “We intended to favor those who had been oppressed in the land, to make them leaders, and to make them the inheritors.” [Quran, 28:5] I do not know whether what Netanyahu is doing—namely, the escalation of killings, criminality, and barbarity, this descent into inhumanity—can bring them closer to the eighty-year term they usually speak of. They say that after eighty years, the Israeli entity will collapse. We are now at seventy-eight years; they may have two years left—I do not know whether it is that or more.

In any case, you should fear for yourself, for you have led your people into an extremely grave situation, and this people will collapse with you. Why do you prevent people from knowing the number of dead and wounded in the Israeli entity? Why do you ban the images? Why do you prevent information from circulating? Because you seek to deceive them and keep them in ignorance of the real consequences. In any case, all of this will eventually be revealed.

Hezbollah Is on the Defensive

Fourth: we are not the ones who initiated the aggression; we must move beyond this notion. The Israeli-US aggression is the cause of what is happening in Lebanon, not the Resistance; the Resistance is merely a reaction. We have repeated this time and again: let Lebanon be liberated, let Israel withdraw, let the aggression cease, and there will be no problem among us (the Lebanese); we will find a way to coexist and live together in Lebanon. The Resistance is a natural reaction: without its existence over more than forty years, Lebanon would no longer exist today. And they are now trying to reproduce the same scenario, but with the Resistance present, that is impossible.

It is therefore not we who are responsible for what is currently happening in Lebanon and the region. It is the Israeli-American aggression that is destroying stability, undermining security, and constraining the Lebanese people, leaving us with two choices: either capitulation or the continuation of the Resistance. And what does capitulation mean? It means fulfilling their objectives; it means that we are all targeted; it means realizing the project of “Greater Israel.” No: capitulation is not an option. There is, in our vocabulary, neither defeat nor surrender. We will remain on the ground, strong, whatever sacrifices are required. We are ready to go to the end. Let no one be under any illusion: it is not because we are suffering that we will retreat. We will not retreat, for it is the very existence of Lebanon that is at stake. This is an existential battle, not a limited or secondary one.

Look at what happened in the town of Nabi Sheet: the Israelis carried out an airborne operation there. Without the intervention of the Resistance fighters and the immense sacrifices they made, that operation would not have failed; yet it did fail—indeed, twice. If there had been no Resistance, what would the Israelis have done? They would have stormed the houses one by one, killed the inhabitants one by one, abducted whomever they wished, and acted as they pleased. And the same would apply across all regions of Lebanon: they seek to disarm Lebanon, disarm the Resistance, strip the army of its defensive capabilities, and prevent the government from standing alongside the Resistance, so that they may act as they wish in the country. No: we will not allow this. We will remain the Resistance. It is the aggression that must be brought to an end, not the Resistance. This is our country; we will not allow anyone to decide its fate, its choices, or the living conditions of its people.

We fight with the certainty of victory. We will not allow the enemy to achieve its objectives by erasing our existence and taking control of Lebanon. We will remain an impenetrable bulwark against its designs. We have faith, will, and capability. “Death is familiar to us, and our dignity comes from God: martyrdom.” (slogan of Imam Hussein at Karbala). Some ask: “What, in the end, is the solution?” The solution is clear: to bring the aggression to a complete end; for Israel to withdraw fully from the occupied territories; to release the prisoners; for the people to return to their villages and begin reconstruction. This is the solution for the Resistance to bring this battle and this confrontation to an end.

The Lebanese Government Must Stop Making Concessions to Israel

Fifth: we call on the government to cease making gratuitous concessions, for they fuel the enemy’s appetite and prolong the war. Know this: every concession further feeds its greed; whereas, if you stand firm, you are fully within your rights. They are attacking your country, your citizens, your future, your dignity, and your children. No region of Lebanon has been spared their aggression, and the threats persist. Tell the enemy: “No.” Do not put forward initiatives in advance without reciprocity, nor make gratuitous concessions. No one negotiates by laying down their cards one after another; moreover, the Israelis do not even respond to that. I ask even more of the government: that it adopt a stance incorporating a form of Resistance. Raise your voices; reconsider certain decisions taken against the Resistance. This is a major opportunity to stand united. Do not stab the Resistance in the back. Our strength lies in unity under these circumstances; it is a decisive asset in thwarting the plans of the Israeli enemy. I hope that our partners in the homeland will make this unity a priority, so that Israel commits to withdrawing, so that we may begin to save Lebanon and put an end to the aggression; thereafter, propose whatever you wish.

This Resistance continues, and the field is the place of honor. The word now belongs to the field. We are the people of the battlefield; God is with us, our people are with us, and the free and dignified men of our homeland and of the entire world are with us. It is this strength that will triumph, God willing.

I must say a word about the situation in Iran: Iran is the victim of aggression—the whole world bears witness to this. Everyone sees that the United States and Israel are seeking to impose upon it a plan aimed at annihilating it, destroying its future, its civilization, and its very existence. Yet it defends itself with honor and dignity, and it stands firm, by the grace of God. Today, they have elected a new Leader and Commander, Sayed Mujtaba (Khamenei), may God preserve him, and thus, by God’s grace, they are acting contrary to the objectives pursued by their enemies. Look at the mobilization for Al-Quds Day: what grandeur! Even as Israel threatened to strike the processions, we saw a united people, strong leadership, and security and military forces determined to carry on. By God’s grace, this people is invincible and steadfast.

I conclude by saying this: aggression is the cause of destruction; the solution lies in deterring it and bringing it to an end, not in handing this country over freely to the Israeli enemy. We refuse to live in humiliation, and we refuse to allow certain parties to exploit this aggression for their own gain at the expense of other citizens.

We ask Almighty God, in this blessed month of Ramadan, to grant us success, victory, and patience.

May peace be upon you, and the mercy of God and His blessings.

To support our work, you can donate, share this article and subscribe to our newsletter.