BEIRUT, June 4 (Xinhua) --

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said on Thursday that resistance against Israel will continue and Israeli settlements will remain unsafe as long as the occupation and attacks on Lebanese territory persist. (Photo: Xinhua)

"We are concerned only with a comprehensive end to the aggression, a ceasefire, and Israel's withdrawal. As long as the occupation exists, the resistance will continue," Qassem said in a televised speech.

He warned that any agreement making disarmament of the resistance its primary objective would "eliminate Lebanon's strength, threaten its existence, and allow Israel to achieve through politics what it failed to achieve through war."

The Hezbollah leader said the group had not committed to refraining from responding to Israeli actions, and warned that Israeli settlements would not be safe while Lebanese villages remained under attack.

He called for a comprehensive ceasefire across Lebanon, a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, the release of prisoners, the return of displaced residents, and reconstruction efforts.

Qassem also urged Lebanese authorities to strengthen national unity against Israeli attacks and criticized reported direct negotiations involving Lebanon, describing them as ineffective and contrary to Lebanon's sovereign interests.