BEIRUT, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said Friday that the group is fully prepared to confront Israel militarily if necessary, warning that Lebanon faces an "existential threat" from the ongoing "Israeli aggression" and U.S.-backed regional pressures.

He made the remarks during a memorial service for the group's fallen commander Ali Abdul Moneim Karaki (Abu al-Fadl), who was killed during an Israeli attack in 2024.

"We are prepared for defensive confrontation. If Israel crosses the line and aggression reaches a point where defense is necessary, we are ready for either victory or martyrdom," Qassem said, quoted by al-Manar local TV channel.

"There is no place for capitulation or handing over our weapons to Israel under any threat," he added.

Hezbollah's stance comes amid what Qassem described as intensified attempts to reshape Lebanon's geopolitical reality. "All current pressure -- military, diplomatic, and economic -- is aimed at one goal: stripping Hezbollah of its weapons to serve Israeli interests," he said.

He accused the United States of backing Israel's violations and attempting to impose a new agreement that would nullify past Israeli breaches and reintroduce demands for Hezbollah's disarmament.

Qassem also pointed to what he sees as a larger Israeli expansionist agenda, referencing Israeli actions in Syria, Gaza, and the broader region.

"Israel is not just occupying, it's expanding, managing, and dictating," he said, arguing that disarming Hezbollah would remove the last obstacle to what he called "Israeli-American domination" over Lebanon.■