Latest news with #Hezbollah
Nahar Net
44 minutes ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Qassem says Hezbollah 'not neutral,' will act as it sees fit
by Naharnet Newsdesk 19 June 2025, 23:03 Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said on Thursday that his Iran-backed group would "act as we see fit" in response to the ongoing war between Iran and Israel. In a written statement, Qassem said Hezbollah was "not neutral" in the conflict between the two regional superpowers, saying that the group would "act as we see fit in the face of this brutal Israeli-American aggression." This comes after the U.S. special envoy for Syria warned Hezbollah against getting involved in the war and after Speaker Nabih Berri said that "Lebanon will '200%' not enter the war, because it has no interest in that and would pay the price and because Iran does not need us."
Free Malaysia Today
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
‘Very bad decision' if Hezbollah joins Iran-Israel war, says US official
Hezbollah was severely weakened by the war with Israel, losing senior figures, thousands of fighters, and strategic sites in southern Lebanon. (AP pic) BEIRUT : A top US official visiting the Lebanese capital on Thursday discouraged Tehran-backed armed group Hezbollah from intervening in the war between Iran and Israel, saying it would be a 'very bad decision'. US special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack, who also serves as ambassador to Turkey, met Lebanese officials in Beirut as Iran and Israel traded more strikes in their days-long war and as the US continues to press Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah. After meeting Lebanon's speaker of parliament Nabih Berri, a close ally of Hezbollah, Barrack was asked what may happen if Hezbollah joined in the regional conflict. 'I can say on behalf of President (Donald) Trump, which he has been very clear in expressing as has special envoy (Steve) Witkoff: that would be a very, very, very bad decision,' Barrack told reporters. Hezbollah has condemned Israel's strikes on Iran and expressed full solidarity with its leadership. On Thursday, it said threats against Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would have 'dire consequences'. But the group has stopped short of making explicit threats to intervene. After Israel began strikes on Iran last week, a Hezbollah official told Reuters the group would not launch its own attack on Israel in response. Hezbollah was left badly weakened from last year's war with Israel, in which the group's leadership was gutted, thousands of fighters were killed and strongholds in southern Lebanon and near Beirut were severely damaged. A US-brokered ceasefire deal which ended that war stipulates that the Lebanese government must ensure there are no arms outside state control. Barrack also met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday and discussed the state's monopoly on all arms. Barrack is a private equity executive who has long advised Trump and chaired his inaugural presidential committee in 2016. He was appointed to his role in Turkey and, in late May, also assumed the position of special envoy to Syria.
LBCI
2 hours ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Hezbollah's Naim Qassem backs Iran, says group is not ‘on the sidelines'
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem declared Iran a global symbol of resistance and vowed unwavering support for its leadership amid rising tensions with the United States and Israel. In a statement issued Thursday, Qassem praised Iran for championing the oppressed and backing regional resistance movements, particularly in Palestine and Lebanon, adding that Tehran's support for liberation movements has come at a high cost but remains principled and consistent. He dismissed U.S. and Israeli claims that Iran's nuclear program poses a threat, calling the program peaceful and legitimate under international law. 'Their only pretext is uranium enrichment for peaceful purposes—something that poses no harm and serves the Iranian people,' he said. Qassem warned that American threats against Iran's leadership represent a broader attack on the region's people and on global freedom movements. "The U.S. is dragging the region into chaos and instability, but it will gain nothing but shame and failure,' he stated. Hezbollah, he stressed, does not stand on the sidelines. 'We are not neutral between Iran's legitimate rights and the aggression of the United States and Israel,' he said. 'We stand firmly alongside Iran against this global injustice.' Qassem called on 'all free people, the oppressed, and voices of reason' to publicly support Iran and rally around its leadership. 'Unity is the only way to block the path of domination and stop the goals of this aggression,' he declared. He concluded by stating that neither the U.S. nor Israel would succeed in bringing down the Iranian people or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Kneecap are pulling the oldest punk trick in the book: offending people – and it has worked
It's been a while since we've had a musical ruckus on the scale of Kneecap-gate. Forget boring arguments about feuds (hello Taylor Swift) or fallings out: yesterday, the rappers rocked up at Westminster Crown Court, accompanied by throngs of supporters, in support of band member Mo Chara (real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh). Ó hAnnaidh stands accused of allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a gig in 2023, and leading the crowd in chants of 'Up Hamas, up Hezbollah.'
Glasgow Times
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Kneecap's Mo Chara to request Irish translator at court hearing
O hAnnaidh, stage name Mo Chara, appeared before Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday, accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig in November last year. During the brief hearing, it was reported that the 27-year-old wanted to speak in Irish during the court hearing, but the judge said the court was unable to find a translator at that time. Kneecap's manager, Daniel Lambert, said on social media that the 'entire public gallery laughed' following the judge's request for a translator as people pointed to fellow Kneecap member DJ Provai, real name J J O Dochartaigh. Lambert wrote on X/Twitter: 'Funniest moment of today. 'The magistrate (judge) said the court had so far been unable to find an Irish translator. ''If anyone knows of one….' he said. 'The entire public gallery laugh and all point at DJ Próvaí (JJ) at the same time.' O hAnnaidh is expected to ask to be allowed to speak in Irish at the next hearing in August. Under the rules, O hAnnaidh's request may be denied as an interpreter is only normally provided in criminal cases where a defendant does not understand English. However, judges do have considerable say as to what happens in courts they are presiding over and may decide to allow the defendant to speak Irish, leading to the need for an interpreter. O hAnnaidh was released on unconditional bail until his next hearing at the same court on August 20. He received a round of applause outside the courtroom after the short hearing. A crowd of supporters had surged around the entrance of Westminster Magistrates Court yesterday in support of O hAnnaidh as they waved banners in support of the musician along with Palestinian flags. The band will play at show at Glasgow's o2 Academy next month.
