Hezbollah leader shrugs off Israeli threats to assassinate him

Qassem says the Israeli threats to assassinate him were 'worthless' and that his armed group has prepared itself for a long confrontation.
Friday 13/03/2026
Hezbollah chief
Defiant

BEIRUT - Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said in a speech on Friday that the Israeli threats to assassinate him were 'worthless'.

"We have prepared ourselves for a long confrontation and they will be surprised in the field", he added.

Qassem’s comments came after Israel said it deployed more troops to fight Iran-backed Hezbollah and warned of more attacks on the country's infrastructure.

As Israeli warplanes pounded Beirut's suburbs with air strikes, Lebanon's interior minister said authorities were unable to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of people who have sought refuge in the capital.

Israeli strikes have killed 773 people in Lebanon since March 2, Lebanon's state news agency said on Friday, citing the health ministry.

Israel launched its offensive against Hezbollah after it opened fire on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader at the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran.