On a Wednesday in November, Hezbollah's leader Naim Qassem spoke by video to mourners gathered to honour fighters and civilians the group lost to Israeli fire, and reached past the grief to elections in America and Israel. He read the Republican setbacks in the US midterms and Benjamin Netanyahu's failure to reach a governing majority as openings that could benefit Lebanon. Beneath his words lies an older question, still unanswered: whether a nation can rebuild its sovereignty while a powerful armed movement and a foreign occupation both claim the right to shape its future.
Hezbollah Chief Says US Midterm and Israeli Election Results Could Benefit Lebanon
More than 4,300 people were killed in Israeli strikes on south Lebanon, according to Lebanese authorities, and around a million were displaced, per the UN.
No disarmament under Israeli occupation
Mark
Why does a Hezbollah leader care so much about American and Israeli elections?
Mimi
Because he's reading them as proof that the pressure on Lebanon may ease. Republicans lost, Netanyahu's bloc fell short of 61 seats, and he uses both to argue Lebanon shouldn't give up its weapons.
Luke
But that's his interpretation. Nothing in the reporting says Washington's disarmament push has changed.
Mark
Fair. What did Trump and Vance actually say?
Mimi
Both acknowledged the Iran war and higher fuel prices hurt Republicans. Vance said the war was the reason they lost.
Luke
Note that this supports the claim about the midterms, not Qassem's conclusion about Lebanon's sovereignty.
Mark
Where does the standoff with President Aoun stand?
Mimi
Hezbollah says no disarmament under Israeli occupation. Aoun is US-backed, and Washington wants the arms handed over.
Luke
And the death toll of 4,300 is from Lebanese authorities, the million displaced from the UN. Those are attributed figures, not independently verified here.
Mark
And the ceasefire?
Mimi
Agreed in June with US mediation, but Israel keeps bombing the south and occupies about 60 villages and towns.
Luke
What we don't know is how Aoun's government will respond to Qassem's speech.
Der Puls
- Qassem called American midterm losses an earthquake and Israel's failed coalition count a defeat, framing both as gains for Lebanon.
- Hezbollah flatly refuses to surrender its weapons while Israeli forces still hold dozens of southern villages, sharpening its clash with President Aoun.
- Washington presses Beirut toward disarmament, while Qassem warns Lebanese leaders against binding commitments that serve Israeli aims.
- With more than 4,300 dead and around a million displaced, the June ceasefire is fraying under continued Israeli strikes, and what happens next depends on whether Beirut holds to the American demand.
On a Wednesday in November, Hezbollah's leader Naim Qassem spoke by video to mourners gathered to honour fighters and civilians the group lost to Israeli fire, and reached past the grief to elections in America and Israel. He read the Republican setbacks in the US midterms and Benjamin Netanyahu's failure to reach a governing majority as openings that could benefit Lebanon. Beneath his words lies an older question, still unanswered: whether a nation can rebuild its sovereignty while a powerful armed movement and a foreign occupation both claim the right to shape its future.
On Wednesday, Hezbollah's Secretary-General Naim Qassem addressed a ceremony honouring members of the group killed by Israel, speaking by video and comforting their families. Much of his speech turned toward elections far away. He called the Republican losses in last week's US midterms an earthquake, and Netanyahu's failure to secure the 61 seats needed to hold power a defeat. He believes both results strengthen Lebanon's hand against the Trump administration's push to disarm his group.
His appeal to Lebanese listeners was direct: rebuild the country together, reject the empty rhetoric of those who sow discord and those who rely on American tutelage, and recognise that the nation belongs to everyone. Behind the words sits a hard standoff. Washington wants Hezbollah's arms surrendered, while the group insists that doing so would mean surrender to Israel, which still occupies large parts of the south and has devastated many of the villages within it.
The war has a longer chain. In February, US and Israeli strikes on Iran killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Hezbollah answered with missiles and drones, and Israel responded with weeks of intense bombardment. More than 4,300 people have died in Lebanon, and around a million have been displaced. A June ceasefire brokered with US help is still in place, yet Israeli strikes on the south continue. Qassem, who took over after Israel killed Hassan Nasrallah and his successor in 2024, also praised Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and noted that President Trump himself has acknowledged the war and fuel prices weighed on Republican fortunes. What comes next will show whether Beirut yields to Washington and whether the ceasefire survives.
On Wednesday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem appeared by video link at a ceremony honouring members of the group killed by Israel, and honoured their families. He used the occasion to talk about elections thousands of miles away. The Republican setbacks in last week's US midterms he called an "earthquake"; the Israeli vote he called a "defeat". Both, he said, were good news for Lebanon.
The Israeli result came from the October 27 election. The bloc led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, long an arch-nemesis of Hezbollah, fell short of the 61 seats it needed to stay in power. Qassem took that, along with the American losses, as a sign that Lebanon should hold firm against the Trump administration's push to disarm his group.
His appeal was addressed to Lebanese listeners. "Come, let us rebuild our country together, save it from the darkness of failure, and protect it from the empty rhetoric of those who sow discord and those who rely on American tutelage," he said. He added that Lebanon belongs to everyone, and that its people are partners in building it and in sharing the cost of protecting its sovereignty.
Behind the rhetoric is a standoff. Iran-backed Hezbollah is at odds with US-backed Lebanese President Joseph Aoun over whether the group will give up its arms. Washington wants that; Hezbollah says handing over weapons would amount to surrender to Israel. Qassem was categorical: there will be no state monopoly on the resistance's weapons, no regulation, no prohibition and no disarmament under Israeli occupation. Israel still holds large parts of southern Lebanon and has devastated dozens of the roughly 60 villages and towns it occupies.
Qassem leads a group that has lost its top figures. He took the post after Israel assassinated his predecessor Hassan Nasrallah and then Nasrallah's successor, Hashem Safieddine, in 2024.
The current war has a longer chain behind it. In February, the US and Israel launched surprise attacks on Iran and killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Hezbollah retaliated with missiles and drones fired into Israel, and Israel answered with weeks of intense strikes on south Lebanon. Lebanese authorities say more than 4,300 people were killed, and the United Nations says around a million were displaced. Israel and Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire in June with US mediation, yet Israel continues to bomb the south.
Qassem also praised Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which pushed up global oil prices and disrupted shipping routes. He argued it would weaken American and Israeli influence in the region. His reading of the American vote finds some echo in Washington. President Donald Trump has acknowledged that the Iran war, and the fuel price rise it caused, contributed to the Republican drubbing. Vice President JD Vance, a likely 2028 hopeful, said last week: "The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so."
Qassem further warned Lebanese authorities against commitments and deals that serve Israeli aims, urging them to concentrate on domestic matters. "Why are you binding yourselves before the world to positions that serve the Israeli project?" he asked.
What to watch now is whether Beirut holds to the American disarmament demand, and whether the June ceasefire survives while Israeli strikes on the south continue.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
There will be no state monopoly on the resistance's weapons, no regulation, no prohibition, and no disarmament under Israeli occupation.— Naim Qassem, Hezbollah Secretary-General
The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so.— JD Vance, US Vice President
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