As U.S. diplomat Amos Hochstein visited the region to push for a ceasefire, Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs and the eastern Bekaa region, and a barrage of rockets fired from Lebanon killed a man in northern Israel.

Qassem made his comments in a pre-recorded address aired a few hours after U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein said he would head to Israel to try to close a deal on a truce, after two days of meetings with Lebanese officials including two sit-downs with parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally.

The group’s supporters remain steadfast in the face of widespread displacement and thousands of deaths.