In an exclusive two-part interview with Al-Monitor, Sheikh Naim Qassem, deputy secretary-general of Hezbollah, dismissed the April 6 US military strike against the Shayrat air base in Syria as “muscle flexing” and a “one-time incident.”

Speaking April 8 in Beirut, Hezbollah's number 2 also called the missile strike a “blatant and unjustified attack.” Qassem argued, “There was no investigation into what actually happened in Khan Sheikhoun,” which on April 4 had been the target of the apparent chemical weapons attack that led US President Donald Trump to order the missile strike as a warning to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whom he blamed for the incident.

Qassam further remarked, “The American attack on Syria is an attempt on the part of the US to shirk its responsibility in taking part in a political solution in Syria and a confirmation that it continues to support the terrorist path in moments of loss. The US, however, will not be able to achieve any of its objectives. The Syrian army is keeping up morale, making gains and moving forward. There is no turning back. The US and its terrorist allies and proxies will face more defeats.”

Two days earlier, on April 6 at a Hezbollah office in southern Beirut, Qassem said that it was too early to judge if the American administration would take unilateral action against the Syrian government after US officials blamed the Syrian government for the chemical attack in Khan Sheikoun. After the attack, he asserted, “The US military strike is merely muscle flexing and a show of strength. Things ended there because any deviation from the existing equation in Syria or any interference against the regime will lead to dangerous results because of the Russian presence [in Syria]. There is no reason for escalation. Although the US has not determined its policies in dealing with the Syrian crisis, … toppling the regime is out of the question.”