By james art “If the Israelis decide to stop the aggression, we say we accept, but according to the terms we think are appropriate,” Mr. Kassem said, speaking from an undisclosed location in a pre-recorded televised address.
“We will not ask for a ceasefire as we will continue (the fight) … no matter how long it takes.”
The speech came as international mediators launched a new push for an agreed ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza.
More than 2,790 people have been killed and 12,700 injured in Lebanon since October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel in retaliation, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health.
The conflict escalated sharply last month and Israeli ground forces invaded southern Lebanon in early October.
About 1.2 million people have been displaced by the conflict in Lebanon, according to government estimates.
Mr Qassem, a cleric and founding member of the Lebanese militant group, was appointed on Tuesday to replace former longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb in late September.
Mr. Qassem served as Mr. Nasrallah’s deputy for more than three decades.
Several other senior officials from the group, including Mr. Nasrallah’s presumed successor, Hashem Safieddine, have also been killed in recent weeks as the Israel-Hezbollah war escalates in Lebanon.
Mr Qassem said the series of strikes against the group in recent weeks – including pager and walkie-talkie blasts targeting Hezbollah members in mid-September and the killing of Mr Nasrallah – had “hurt” the group. but he claimed the group had managed to reorganize its ranks within eight days of Mr Nasrallah’s death.
“Hezbollah’s capabilities are still available and compatible with a long war,” he said.
He pointed to the steady stream of Israeli soldiers wounded and killed in southern Lebanon since Israeli forces launched a ground invasion on Oct. 1, and a drone fired by Hezbollah that struck the home of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this month.
Mr. Netanyahu was not injured.
He said Hezbollah was in coordination with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Lebanon’s main interlocutor in communications with the United States, which has presented a series of proposals to end the conflict.
“So far, no project has been presented that Israel agrees with and is acceptable for negotiations,” Mr. Kassem said.
Mr Qassem said Hezbollah was carrying out plans laid out by its former chief in the ongoing war.
There was no immediate Israeli response to the speech.
As he spoke, a series of Israeli airstrikes hit the eastern town of Baalbek.
Earlier, the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning for residents of the entire eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek, including the ancient Roman temple complex, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The order also included surrounding areas and key routes in the Bekaa Valley.
On October 6, an Israeli strike struck about 700 meters from the ancient citadel, which houses two of the largest Roman temples in the world.