Hezbollah has given the Lebanese government time to resolve the conflict with Israel through diplomacy, but it reserves the right to choose how to respond if the Israeli army continues to attack Lebanon, the movement's secretary general said.
"We have several options to choose from, if the attacks continue … We are giving diplomacy a chance, but time is not infinite," he said on Friday, in a speech aired by Lebanon's Al-Manar TV channel.
Speaking on the issue of disarmament, Qassem said that the weapons of the Lebanese resistance fighters would be used exclusively against Israel. The secretary general emphasized that Hezbollah and the Lebanese military share a common enemy - Israel.
Qassem said that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun was primarily responsible for defining the framework for an intra-Lebanese dialogue on the country’s defense strategy. Hezbollah is ready to participate, but this will not happen under US pressure, the secretary general said, adding that Israel must leave Lebanese territory first and must stop carrying out strikes, then the movement’s leadership could discuss defense strategy, but Hezbollah’s disarmament would not be discussed.