Hezbollah’s Naeem Qasim Defends Iran, Frames Resistance as Divine Duty in Muharram Address
Executive Summary
In a major speech marking the start of Muharram, Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naeem Qasim praised Iran’s resilience after recent Israeli attacks, framed resistance to Israel and the U.S. as a religious obligation, and reaffirmed Hezbollah’s alignment with Iran’s leadership and ideology.
Analysis
On June 26, 2025 (the first of Muharram 1447 AH), Sheikh Naeem Qasim delivered a dense and ideologically charged speech marking Ashura, using the memory of Imam Hussein’s martyrdom as a framework to justify resistance against Israel and the United States. In classic Hezbollah rhetoric, Qasim positioned religious values, historical precedent, and modern political conflict as part of a unified struggle for justice and dignity.
The first half of the speech was theological, highlighting the Shiite principle that true Islamic leadership continues through the Prophet’s family—particularly Imam Hussein. Hussein’s refusal to submit to Yazid’s corrupt rule was offered as the original archetype for resistance. Qasim stressed that loyalty to this lineage requires rejecting oppression even at the cost of death, saying, “Life is in the hands of God… what we have is our dignity.”
The latter half pivoted to contemporary geopolitics. Qasim celebrated Iran’s survival of a recent 12-day Israeli military campaign—described as having three strategic goals: halting Iran’s nuclear program, destroying its missile capacity, and toppling the Islamic Republic’s leadership. According to Qasim, all three goals failed. He declared that Iran “stood alone” and emerged stronger, with its leadership, people, and Revolutionary Guard forces intact.
Qasim emphasized that Iran’s support for Palestine and opposition to American influence were the true reasons for Israeli hostility, not nuclear ambitions. He framed Iran not just as Hezbollah’s patron, but as a moral and strategic model for the entire region. Hezbollah’s alignment with Tehran was not transactional, he insisted, but rooted in shared ideology and values: “We are proud that we are with Iran.”
The speech closed with a recommitment to Hezbollah’s resistance agenda. Qasim framed any criticism of Hezbollah’s ties to Iran as either ignorance or betrayal and declared that Lebanon must resist Israeli and American influence in the region by any means necessary. “We are the sons of Hussein,” he proclaimed, echoing the group’s foundational identity.
Sources
Hezbollah Media Relations – Full text of Sheikh Naeem Qasim’s speech on the first night of Muharram, 1447 AH (June 26, 2025)
