Naim Qassem: It doesn't matter how the war started 

Newly minted Hezbollah leader gave a speech today (Wednesday), aiming to rally Hezbollah forces and encourage them that victory is at hand.

First, Qassem waved away Hezbollah's decision to begin attacking Israel on October 8, unprovoked: "It doesn't matter how the war started. We are now facing Israeli aggression."

Echoing Iranian claims that Israel's wars are about territorial expansion: "Netanyahu has a great project, according to Netanyahu's statement, to change the region: eliminating Hezbollah, conquering Lebanon, and changing the map of the Middle East. This is the reason for the war he started against Lebanon."

Qassem then compared the two belligerents, saying that Hezbollah's strengths lie in their religious beliefs, including the world to come, and in their training and weapons, while Israel's strengths are solely technical or immoral: committing massacres, airpower and communications, and overwhelming strength on the border (Qassem claims five IDF divisions).

Finally, Qassem said that Hezbollah puts no stock in a negotiated ceasefire and does not care whether Trump or Harris wins, and that it has tens of thousands of fighters prepared for a victorious war of attrition.