Hezbollah leader rejects disarmament demands, labels them 'g
Hezbollah leader rejects disarmament demands, labels them 'gift' to Israel
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has dismissed calls for the group to disarm, warning that any such effort was a "delusion" that would serve Israeli interests
BEIRUT — Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has dismissed calls for the group to
disarm, warning that any such effort was a "delusion" that would
serve Israeli interests.
"No one will be allowed to remove the weapons of the
resistance," Qassem said on Friday during a public address focused on
Lebanon's defence strategy and the current political landscape.
"Israel wants to see Lebanon weak and defenceless so
it can fulfill its expansionist ambitions."
He argued that proposals to disarm Hezbollah under the
pretext of strengthening the state amounted to offering a "gift" to
Israel, Xinhua news agency reported.
The resistance movement's weapons, Qassem said, were a
response to Israeli occupation and aggression, and remained essential to
safeguarding Lebanon's sovereignty.
"The Lebanese army alone is not equipped to defend
the country," he said, asserting that Hezbollah's military role was
necessary alongside state institutions.
The remarks escalate a simmering debate over Hezbollah's
military autonomy, which has long divided Lebanese politics.
Qassem accused domestic critics advocating disarmament of
promoting foreign agendas and inflaming artificial crises.
"The true danger is Israel's occupation and ongoing
aggression," he said.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, during a visit to Qatar
this week, reaffirmed his commitment to bringing all weapons under state
control by 2025, emphasising that the process must be driven by "domestic
consensus, not external dictates".
He also praised Hezbollah's "restraint" since a
November truce with Israel, citing the group's handover of more than 100
positions near the Litani River.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam echoed the President's stance
in an interview with Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya, stating that "only the
state may decide matters of war and peace".
Both Aoun and Salam, who have publicly questioned
Hezbollah's military role, assumed office in recent months following more than
a year of intense conflicts between the group and Israel.
Their appointments have been widely interpreted as a sign
of Hezbollah's waning influence within Lebanon's political establishment.
Under the November ceasefire, Israel was meant to
withdraw all of its forces from south Lebanon.
But despite the deal, its troops have remained at five
south Lebanon positions that they deem "strategic".
Israel has also continued to carry out near-daily strikes
against Lebanon -- including on Friday -- saying it is targeting members of
Hezbollah.
