Hezbollah leader: Disarmament would only serve Israel
Shafaq News- Beirut
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Sunday rejected calls by the Lebanese government, the United States, and Israel to disarm the group, describing the issue as an attempt to “eliminate the resistance.”
In a televised address, Qassem described the Lebanese government’s efforts to restrict weapons to state control as “serving” Israel, while calling on the cabinet to reverse decisions that had effectively “criminalized the resistance.”
On March 2, the same day Hezbollah fired six rockets at Israel in response to the US-Israeli assassination of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam declared that all military activity conducted by the group outside state authority was illegal and demanded that Hezbollah hand over its weapons to the state. Information Minister Paul Morcos later ordered official Lebanese media outlets to stop referring to Hezbollah as “the resistance.”
“If the Lebanese government is incapable of protecting sovereignty, then it should leave,” Qassem warned.
The remarks came a week after Lebanese and Israeli officials held a third round of direct talks in Washington aimed at securing a longer-term ceasefire and addressing unresolved security issues in southern Lebanon, including Hezbollah’s military role south of the Litani River. Qassem had previously urged Beirut to withdraw from the negotiations and stop their “free concessions,” particularly as Israel continues to violate the ceasefire.
His comments also followed reports that a proposed US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU) could halt fighting across all regional fronts, including Lebanon, starting Monday morning if approved by both sides. However, Axios reported that the proposed agreement would allow Israel to continue taking action in Lebanon if Hezbollah “attempted to rearm,” effectively preserving Israeli freedom of military movement inside Lebanese territory.
Hezbollah officials, including Qassem, have previously rejected such terms, insisting the group’s attacks would continue unless Israel fully withdraws from Lebanese territory and completely ends hostilities. The group has repeatedly warned against a repeat of the ceasefire that was in effect between November 2024 and March 2026, during which Israeli strikes inside Lebanon continued, killing more than 500 people, mostly women and children.
Read more: Ceasefire without sovereignty: how Lebanon's fragmented power blocks a peace with Israel
