Sheikh Qassem: Hezbollah foiled ‘Greater Israel’ plot, stopped its expansion into Lebanon

Delivering a speech broadcast live from the Lebanese capital Beirut on the occasion of the birthday anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on Friday night, Sheikh Naim Qassem stated that Washington and the Zionist regime are developing an ambitious project aimed at exerting dominance and fragmenting West Asia.

“Washington is laying the groundwork for the ‘Greater Israel’ plot, taking advantage of its military capabilities and amid prevalent submission in the region. Iran and resistance forces across the region are, nonetheless, confronting the scheme,” he stated.

The sacrifices made in Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, Yemen, and Iraq have halted the project, Sheikh Qassem said, emphasizing that the Axis of Resistance is thriving despite losses suffered in the course of struggle against the occupying Zionist regime.

“We have made great sacrifices, and we will not lose. Loss comes when we surrender and willfully hand everything over to them, allowing them to seize the whole lot,” the Hezbollah chief said.

He further noted that the ongoing developments in Syria are further proof of US and Israeli attempts to advance the ‘Greater Israel’ project.

The term “Greater Israel” has been used since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War to describe the territories occupied by Israel, including East al-Quds, the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, and Syria’s strategic Golan Heights.

Early Zionist thinkers, such as Ze’ev Jabotinsky—widely regarded as the ideological forerunner of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party—expanded this vision to include present-day Jordan. The idea of “Greater Israel” is a core tenet of Likud’s political legacy, rooted in Revisionist Zionism.

“Resistance forces will remain on the battlefield, and reject efforts aimed at imposition of such plots upon the region,” Sheikh Qassem said.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Hezbollah leader categorically rejected the Lebanese authorities’ decision to engage in direct negotiations with Israel, warning that the talks have failed to stop bouts of Israeli aggression and amount to concessions that have yielded nothing for Lebanon.

“The Lebanese government’s negotiations [with Zionist regime] did not stop the war, but rather legitimized it. It amounts to a humiliating surrender to the Zionist enemy without receiving anything in return,” he said.

Sheikh Qassem sharply criticized Lebanese officials for making concessions to Zionist regime and undermining the country’s national sovereignty.

“They tend to jeopardize Lebanon’s interests to remain in power and please the United States, which is complicit in Zionist regime's crimes and atrocities.”

He also strongly rejected claims that Hezbollah seeks tensions, stressing that the Lebanese resistance movement has stood firmly committed to the October 2024 ceasefire agreement.

“The current situation falls within the framework of recurrent Zionist regime's aggression that periodically escalates and subsides. We are in a state of confrontation, and will remain steadfast. We accept the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in accordance with Resolution 1701, and nothing else,” the Hezbollah chief pointed out.

 Sheikh Qassem also dismissed the US-sponsored framework agreement between the Beirut government and the Zionist regime, describing it as illegitimate, unlawful and humiliating.

He stated that the deal must be nullified as it undermines Lebanon’s sovereignty and fails to restore its legitimate rights.

Sheikh Qassem concluded that Hezbollah and its supporters would remain steadfast and pledged to assist the reconstruction of communities in southern Lebanon that were destroyed in Zionist regime's strikes.