(2 Jul 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Beirut 2 July 2024
1. Deputy chief of Hezbollah Sheikh Naim Kassem entering room for interview
2. Wide of Abby Sewell, AP news director for Syria, Lebanon and Iraq sitting during interview with Kassem
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Sheikh Naim Kassem, Hezbollah's deputy Chief:
“The third phase that Israel talks about in Gaza is still unclear. It could be a prelude to a ceasefire and an agreement with the Palestinians, it could be a continuation of the war in another form, or it could be a transitional phase. We in Lebanon, as Hezbollah, cannot decide how to deal with this new phase because it is unclear in its features. However, we have previously announced that if the next phase is a ceasefire, we will stop firing in Lebanon. Will this happen? We do not know. From now until this transitional phase, I do not imagine that there are conditions for war. We do not want war, and it does not seem that the other side, the Israeli entity, has the ability or the decision for war.”
4. Close of Lebanese and Hezbollah flags
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Sheikh Naim Kassem, Hezbollah's deputy Chief:
“Threatening us with war does not change our position. From the beginning, we have said that we support Gaza. Usually, if a war happens anywhere in the world, the resolution should be the end of the war.”
6. Close of photographer
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Sheikh Naim Kassem, Hezbollah's deputy Chief:
“If Israel ignites the war in Lebanon, it will depend on the level of this war. No one knows the repercussions of igniting the war locally, regionally, or even internationally. We cannot delve into the possibilities of war now because they are numerous and varied. However, if it does break out, all serious and major possibilities are certainly conceivable on a regional level.”
8. Close of Kassem’s hand
9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Sheikh Naim Kassem, Hezbollah's deputy Chief:
“The beginning is from Gaza. The way the United States is handling the situation in Gaza does not help in reaching political solutions. They support Israel in continuing the war, but at a different pace, and they want the terms of the agreement to break Hamas, end the Palestinian resistance, and give Israel a gain that it did not achieve during the war.”
10. Close of Kassem’s eyes
11. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Sheikh Naim Kassem, Hezbollah's deputy Chief:
“We received news from some who met with Mr. (Amos) Hochstein (U.S. Special envoy) that there is a desire for Hezbollah to talk to Hamas on the basis that we have influence over them. Our response was clear: Hamas makes its own decisions, and anyone who wants to request something should speak directly to them. The Palestinians are the decisionmakers, and we are not prepared to relay messages or request things that are neither realistic nor objective.”
12. Close of camera screen
13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Sheikh Naim Kassem, Hezbollah's deputy Chief:
“The Islamic group is a religious group that believes in Islam and is convinced of the necessity of liberating Palestine. When they saw that Palestine, especially Gaza, is under threat at this stage, they decided to contribute to confronting Israel. Given that Hezbollah is influential in the southern arena and has considerable capabilities, it is natural for them to seek cooperation with the party because their own capabilities are limited, but their decision is one of resistance.”
14. Wide of interview
STORYLINE:
The deputy leader of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said Tuesday that the only path to cessation of hostilities on the LebanonIsrael border is a full ceasefire in Gaza.




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