Sheikh Qassem: Reconstruction is not a favor from anyone, and we will not accept blackmail under this pretext.
Qassem: Lebanon cannot move forward under US guardianship, and the US must respect the Lebanese people’s will for independence and non-interference in its affairs.
Sheikh Qassem: They say they are linking reconstruction to disarmament, we say we are the ones linking weapons to reconstruction.
Sheikh Qassem: Moving to the second phase requires implementing the first phase, which includes the withdrawal of “Israel,” an end to its aggression, and the actual start of reconstruction.
Sheikh Qassem: Hezbollah has fulfilled its responsibilities; let “Israel” fulfill its own, and let the Lebanese state fulfill its own.
Qassem: We will not discuss the details of the defensive strategy in the media, nor will we preempt the principles that will be agreed upon once we sit at the dialogue table.
Sheikh Qassem: Let “Israel” withdraw and stop its aggressions, including its air violations, as an important step toward engaging in discussions on the defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: When we are invited to dialogue, we will be ready, but not under the pressure of occupation.
Sheikh Qassem: There was an exchange of messages with the President of the Republic regarding the implementation of the agreement south of the Litani, and the messages were positive and will remain so.
Sheikh Qassem: The second principle stipulates that any dialogue serves to leverage the strength of the resistance and its weapons in any defensive strategy.
Khadija Atwi's sisters to Al Mayadeen: 'She could've been saved'
On February 16, Israeli occupation forces opened fire on and killed 13-year-old Khadija Atwi in Houla, South Lebanon. Moments before her murder, she told her sister, "I miss my dad and want to visit his grave." A minute later, a bullet struck her cheek; an injury, her sister says, shouldn't have been fatal. In an exclusive interview for Al Mayadeen, one of her sisters revealed that Israeli occupation forces arrived in civilian jeeps, in an obvious attempt at deceiving Houla's residents before opening fire at them. Her sisters also denounced the Lebanese government’s failure to act swiftly, saying that if the Lebanese army had "received orders just like they were given on the Airport Road... if they had at least fired tear gas at the Israeli enemy, they could have pulled her out in time. Maybe she would have had an 80% chance of survival."