Shafaq News- Beirut

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah warned on Sunday that Lebanon's political landscape would change if authorities continued taking measures against the group under US pressure, accusing officials of putting internal peace and national stability at risk.

"We are not looking to challenge the state or anyone else in Lebanon," Fadlallah said during a Hezbollah ceremony in the southern town of Tebnine, adding that the group was acting defensively against Israel and had assumed responsibilities when the Lebanese state failed to fulfill its role.

Fadlallah accused Washington of pressuring Lebanese officials to weaken Hezbollah after military action and a blockade had failed to defeat the group. He also rejected recent measures targeting its weapons and military capabilities, which he described as essential to confronting Israel.

Opposing calls for all weapons to be placed under state control, he stressed that decisions on war and peace rested exclusively with the government. "Give us a state and prove that you are a state before talking about the rights of the state."

Fadlallah also argued that Hezbollah's support base extended beyond Lebanon's Shiite Muslim community, warning that attempts to target the group and its constituency would strengthen their unity rather than weaken them.

Urging officials to resist foreign pressure in the interest of civil peace and stability, Fadlallah cautioned against interpreting the group's restraint as a willingness to accept further measures against it. "When our existence in Lebanon is threatened, it is natural for us to confront and resist," he said.

Earlier this week, Lebanese security forces intercepted a vehicle at the Dahr al-Baidar checkpoint as it traveled from the Beqaa Valley toward Beirut. Hezbollah informed Lebanese authorities that the shipment belonged to the group and that the explosives were intended exclusively for use against Israel.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam pledged to expand the investigation to identify those involved and establish their plans and objectives. He also noted that C-4 explosives had been used in past political assassinations in Lebanon, vowing firm action against the possession, transport, or use of weapons outside state authority.

Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, meanwhile, reported that President Joseph Aoun had directed security agencies to arrest Hussein Abdullah, head of Hezbollah's Liaison and Coordination Committee, and his assistant, Ali Ayoub, over suspicions that they were involved in or had prior knowledge of the shipment.