BEIRUT — In a pivotal development, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem on Friday urged Saudi Arabia to turn a “new page” with the Resistance movements amid rising Israeli aggression that now extends to Qatar.

Speaking on the first anniversary of the assassination of the Radwan Unit leaders, Qassem appealed to “everyone in Lebanon, even those with whom we are nearly hostile,” not to “be servants of Israel, whether knowingly or not.”

He warned that “the entire region is facing an exceptionally dangerous political turning point,” as Israel escalates “criminality and brutality,” violating humanitarian, legal, international, and human-rights norms with “full support from the U.S. administration.”

Qassem called on Saudi Arabia to “restore relations” and “open a new page with the Resistance” through dialogue that “addresses problems, meets concerns, and secures interests.” He insisted this dialogue rest on the fact that Israel—not the Resistance—is the enemy, and that past disputes be set aside.

Stressing that “the Resistance’s weapons are aimed at Israel, not at Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, or any other entity,” he cautioned that “pressuring the Resistance only benefits Israel, and once the Resistance is gone, other countries will be next.”

He added, “What happens after the strike on Qatar differs from what happened before it,” demanding a shift in outlook. The Israeli attack on Doha, he said, “exposed everything and made everything clear,” and warned that further Israeli military adventures “become inevitable if we continue on the same path.”

Qassem’s outreach does not signal a reassessment of Saudi actions in Lebanon and the region, which he still views as intrusive. Instead, it reflects a reprioritization: engaging Saudi Arabia to redraw regional balances through Islamic-Arab unity and contain conflicts, and encouraging internal Lebanese dialogue as the best path to overcome divisions.

In urging rational discourse over confrontation and understanding over exhaustion, Sheikh Naim Qassem conditions any dialogue on the shared premise that “Israel” is the enemy—a fact Saudi Arabia already recognizes.

With regional capitals now aware that the Resistance’s decline would leave them vulnerable to Israeli strikes, this step, if embraced, could inaugurate a new political phase in Lebanon and the wider region, outmaneuvering those who merely claim to care for the nation.
Sheikh Qassem’s address lives up to the strategic tenor of the pivotal speeches delivered by the late Sayyed Nasrallah.