BEIRUT, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said on Tuesday in a televised letter to Hezbollah fighters that the group will continue defending Lebanon and its people "regardless of how long it takes or how great the sacrifices," stressing that Hezbollah "will not return to the pre-March 2 phase."

This photo taken on Jan. 25, 2026 shows the scene of an Israeli airstrike in Kfardounine, southern Lebanon. (Photo: Xinhua)

"We will not leave the battlefield and will turn it into a nightmare for Israel," Qassem said.