Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has rejected calls for the Lebanese group’s disarmament, saying that such demands serve only Israel. In a televised address marking the first anniversary of the targeted killing by Israel of senior commander Fuad Shukr, Qassem said, “Those who call for submitting arms practically demand submitting them to Israel … We will not submit to Israel.” The statement comes amid pressure from the United States for Beirut to take steps towards disarmament.
The US is pushing Lebanon to issue a formal cabinet decision committing to disarm Hezbollah, saying that is needed before talks can resume on a halt to Israeli military operations in the country. However, Hezbollah has publicly refused to hand over its arsenal in full, but has privately weighed scaling it back. Qassem said, “Those who call for disarmament on a domestic, global or Arab level serve the Israeli project.” He also accused US special envoy Tom Barrack of calling for disarmament for the sake of Israel and not Lebanon’s own security.
Under a truce agreement reached in November last year, Hezbollah was to withdraw its fighters north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border, leaving the Lebanese army and United Nations peacekeepers as the only armed parties to its south.
However, Israel has kept its troops in five areas it deems strategic, and Qassem said that the ceasefire agreement applies “exclusively south of the Litani River”. “However, if some link weapons to the agreement, I say to them, ‘Weapons are an internal Lebanese affair that has nothing to do… with the Israeli enemy’,” he added.
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has called a cabinet meeting for next week to discuss “the extension of state sovereignty over all its territories exclusively by its own forces”. The meeting will reportedly also focus on “arrangements for the ceasefire … which include ideas from ambassador Barrack’s proposal regarding its implementation”. Hezbollah insists that Israel must halt its strikes and withdraw from the remaining positions it holds in the south before it will discuss the future of its weapons.
The international community has been calling for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, with many urging Lebanon to take steps towards disarmament. However, Hezbollah’s stance remains firm, with Qassem saying, “Israel will not be able to defeat us, and it will not be able to take Lebanon hostage.” The situation remains tense, with ongoing Israeli attacks targeting various parts of Lebanon. Qassem emphasized that the “imminent danger is the Israeli aggression … this aggression must stop”.