Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has made it clear that the armed Lebanese group will not lay down its weapons under Israeli fire. In a televised speech, Qassem emphasized that the strategy should not be a timeline to disarm and that resistance to Israel must be discussed in national consensus. “The resistance is fine, strong and ready to fight for Lebanon’s sovereignty and independence … Hezbollah made heavy sacrifices to defend Lebanon against the Israeli aggression,” he said.
Qassem warned that missiles would rain down on Israel if it resumed a broad war on the country, adding that Hezbollah, Lebanon’s army, and Lebanon’s people would defend themselves. “All the security they have built over eight months will collapse within an hour,” he said, underscoring the group’s determination to resist Israeli aggression.
Following a six-hour cabinet meeting chaired by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, it was declared that the army will be tasked with bringing all arms under state control by the end of the year. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam affirmed after the meeting “the state’s duty to monopolise the possession of weapons”, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.
Qassem’s statement came after Hezbollah supporters gathered in Beirut to protest against the group’s proposed disarmament ahead of the government cabinet meeting. The demonstrations are part of the pressure by the United States on Lebanon to get Hezbollah to lay down its arms as Israel carries out near-daily violations of the November truce.
Hezbollah has made its position clear: it will not disarm because to do so would serve Israel’s interests, not Lebanon’s sovereignty, according to Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut. Qassem has told the country’s leadership that the group feels blackmailed – that if they don’t disarm, they will not be given funds for reconstruction.
In a previous statement, Qassem condemned efforts to disarm the resistance front as surrendering to Israel, stressing the need for national unity, defense, and reconstruction. “Every call to disarm us means weakening Lebanon’s strength. Disarming Hezbollah will let Israel expand its occupation and assert control over the Lebanese soil,” he pointed out.
Lebanon’s political leadership is pushing for the move – even if it may come by force. “If there is a cost to be able to centralise the weapons with the … Lebanese armed forces, [it may be] better like that,” Elias Hankash, a member of the Lebanese parliament, told Al Jazeera. However, the Lebanese army will take on Hezbollah if and when there’s a political decision to disarm the group by force, Khodr said.
The issue of disarmament is sensitive due to sectarian divisions, with consequences for national peace. In 2008, a government decision to dismantle the group’s telecommunication network led to street violence. Lebanon’s Agriculture Minister Nizar Hani said the president has set a clear timetable for the disarmament process, and the Lebanese army has already taken over hundreds of Hezbollah sites and weapons depots.