Deputy Secretary-General Of Hizbullah Sheikh Naim Qassem: Advance Knowledge Of The October 7 Attack Wasn't Important To Us; Hizbullah’s Participation Is An Integral Part Of The Second Stage Of The War

Deputy secretary-general of Hizbullah Sheikh Naim Qassem said on a November 9, 2023 show on Al-Alam TV (Iran) that it doesn’t matter whether Hizbullah new in advance about the October 7 attacks as long as it was a success. He said that the October 7 attacks required secrecy in order to be successful. Qassem said that this does not mean that Hizbullah will not be part of the second stage of the war, and in fact Hizbullah’s cooperation "was an indivisible part of the resistance and defense."

Sheikh Naim Qassem: "We believe that the high secrecy was necessary for the success of the [October 7] operation. It is not important for us whether we knew about it before or after it took place, because the unique nature of the resistance in any specific place must be maintained in order for the operation to succeed. Indeed, the operation was greatly successful.

"After the Al-Aqsa Flood, we are facing another stage. In this stage, should we cooperate with one another, or discuss what happened? We should cooperate, because what happened was great, and is part of our goal to defeat Israel. If any branch of the [resistance] axis is victorious, it is a victory for the entire axis.

"We have started discussing together what we should do the following day. And thus, this cooperation and this involvement of Hizbullah has emerged, in support of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the path of Palestine. Therefore, Hizbullah's participation in this war was an integral part of the resistance and defense, in the second stage."