Hezbollah's new head Qasem "will remain on the path of war"

Secretary-General Naim Qasem, who became the new head of Lebanon's armed faction Hezbollah, has said he will continue the war with Israel.

In a pre-recorded speech broadcast by Almanar TV on Thursday local time, Qasem said Hezbollah was not fighting on behalf of anyone, adding, "We will remain on the path of war according to our plans, which are framed within the political framework."

"Iran supports Hezbollah but wants nothing in return," he said, explaining that they are fighting Israel to defend Lebanese territory.

Qasem argued that Israel must step back from its land immediately to reduce the damage and warned that it would pay more than it has ever paid.

In Western media, Hezbollah is called Iran's "solidest proxy," but the Iranian military and government argue that Hezbollah judges it independently.

Kasem also said he planned to follow the agenda set by his predecessor, Hasan Nasrallah, adding that "if Israel decides to stop the invasion, it can be accepted under the appropriate conditions" but that there was no acceptable proposal yet.

Qasem, who was Hezbollah's second-in-command, was elected as the general secretary on the 29th local time after leading the organization for about a month after Nasrallah's killing on the 27th of last month.