Amid ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon, Hezbollah's new leader, Naïm Qassem, issues a stern warning to Tel Aviv in his inaugural speech, advocating for war readiness while expressing openness to a ceasefire under specific terms.

• Tensions Escalate in Lebanon amid Israeli Offensive: New Hezbollah Leader's Martial Speech

• As Israel continues its attacks on Lebanon, the newly appointed leader of Hezbollah, Naïm Qassem, delivered his inaugural speech on Wednesday, October 30. His address blended threats towards Tel Aviv with references to a potential ceasefire amidst the ongoing conflict.

• Naïm Qassem, the new head of Lebanese Hezbollah following the death of Hassan Nasrallah, issued a warning that Israel would face consequences if its forces remained in Lebanon. He asserted that his movement, backed by Iran, was prepared to wage war "for days, weeks, and months." "Leave our territory to minimize your losses. If you stay, you will pay a heavier price than ever before," he declared in a pre-recorded speech, acknowledging the "painful blows" inflicted by Israel.

• Additionally, Qassem pledged to continue the "war plan" of his predecessor, who was killed by Israel last month after decades of influence in Lebanon. "My action plan is a continuation of the action plan of our leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, prepared with the guidance of the Iran-backed group," he stated.

• Amidst this aggressive rhetoric, Qassem expressed readiness for a ceasefire with Israel under certain conditions. "If the Israeli side decides that it wants to stop the aggression, we say that we accept, but on our conditions." However, there is currently "no proposal from Israel that we have accepted and can discuss."

• Simultaneous to Qassem's speech, reports surfaced of Israeli airstrikes targeting the ancient city of Baalbeck and its surroundings in the eastern region of Lebanon. This came after an Israeli evacuation order issued earlier in the day for the entire city, which houses one of Lebanon's most significant archaeological sites, including an impressive Roman acropolis.

• According to local French-language newspaper L’Orient Le Jour, images shared on social media by residents showed smoke rising among the historical ruins. The mayor of Baalbeck, Moustafa al-Chall, confirmed that airstrikes had struck the city and its environs, without providing further details.

• In another area, the Israeli military bombarded the region of Nabatiyé in the south of Lebanon, urging residents to evacuate before military operations against "installations of the pro-Iranian Islamist Hezbollah movement" in the area.

• "For your safety, you must immediately evacuate your homes and move north of the Awali River," a military spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, stated on X, while the official Lebanese news agency (Ani) reported Israeli airstrikes on the city of Nabatiyé.

• Subsequently, following these attacks, the Israeli army announced that they had "eliminated" the number two of the al-Radwan unit, the elite force of Hezbollah. The army revealed that Moustafa Ahmad Chehadé had orchestrated several terrorist attacks against the State of Israel, with al-Radwan aiming to infiltrate Israeli territory and occupy areas near the northern border. The unit's commander, Ibrahim Aqil, was killed on September 20 in an Israeli airstrike on the southern outskirts of Beirut.

• The escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon have raised concerns about further violence and the potential for a wider conflict in the region. The international community closely watches the situation, hoping for a swift resolution to prevent further civilian casualties and instability.