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Deputy secretary-general of Hizbullah Sheikh Naim Qassem discussed U.S. President Biden's May 31 ceasefire proposal in a June 4, 2024 interview with Al-Jazeera Network (Qatar). He said that this proposal is "hot air," and he asked what kind of agreement can be reached, if it does not include an end to the war. Qassem said that he believes this proposal stems from the upcoming American presidential elections and American internal politics. He said that it would not make sense for Hamas to relinquish its bargaining chips by releasing the Israeli hostages yet allow Israel to continue to attack Gaza.
Regarding the Lebanese front with Israel, Qassem said that Hizbullah is fighting in support of Gaza and that it will not stop fighting, "unless there is a ceasefire and the war against Gaza stops," and it will continue to fight as long as the war in Gaza continues. He said that Hizbullah has decided not to expand the fighting to an all-out war, but if such a war were imposed on it,
they are ready for it.
Naim Qassem: "We are fighting in support of Gaza. [Hizbullah's] fighting will not stop unless there is a ceasefire and the war against Gaza stops. Many Western envoys have come and asked us to stop [the fighting] and to keep Lebanon neutralized, separated from Gaza. Our answer was clear: We will continue as long as Gaza is under fire. These threats aim to intimidate us, make us stop, and give in to their demands. This will not happen. We have responded to them in the field, and we will continue. It does not concern us at all, regardless of whether these [threats] will become serious in the future or not.
"We believe that these threats are meaningless and pointless. In any case, we have decided not to expand the fighting. We do not want an all-out war, but if such a war is imposed on us, we are ready for it, we will not withdraw from the battlefield.
[...]
"Theoretically speaking, Biden's proposals are nothing but hot air. They lack objectivity and details. He only presented principles. To this very moment, the Israelis have said that they do not agree. [State Department spokesperson Matthew] Miller said that so far they had not received an answer from Israel, at the time when Biden said that he had received the information from Israel. They are trying to have it both ways. Netanyahu is still saying that he would not stop the war. If the agreement does not include an end to the war – what kind of agreement can be possibly reached? Is it conceivable that Hamas and the Palestinian resistance relinquish their bargaining chips – which are the [Israeli] prisoners –just so the Israelis would be able to renew their attack against Gaza? It does not make any sense.
"I believe that the American proposal has to do with the [presidential] elections, and with the balance of power in America itself. If America were serious, it could stop the war within 24 hours, through several means. However, so far they are fully sponsoring Israel, and therefore, they have not taken a serious decision to stop the war."
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