Hezbollah Deputy Leader Stands Firm: "We Will Not Surrender Weapons... Israel Must Fully Withdraw from Lebanon"

Hezbollah's Secretary-General, Naim Qassem, reiterated the party's firm position on Tuesday, affirming that the organization will not surrender its weapons. Qassem stated that the demands being channeled through the U.S. to the Lebanese government are merely "orders being exercised through pressure by the Israeli hand to implement them," thereby highlighting the perceived connection between American pressure and Israeli objectives.

In this context, Qassem strongly criticized the statements made publicly by U.S. Envoy, Tom Brack, who allegedly expressed a desire to arm the Lebanese Army so that it could "confront its resisting people." The Secretary-General questioned how the Lebanese government could accept such a proposal, warning that the current bleeding in the South, if allowed to continue, "will affect all of Lebanon because of America and Israel."

Regarding the ceasefire agreement, Naim Qassem clarified that Hezbollah believes the accord specifically pertains only to the area South of the Litani River. He emphasized that the non-negotiable prerequisite is the complete withdrawal of Israel from Lebanese territories and the release of all prisoners. He stressed that there must be "no replacement for the agreement and no clearance of the occupation's responsibility with a new agreement," insisting that the initial agreement must be implemented first, after which "all avenues will be open for an internal discussion about Lebanon's strength and sovereignty, and the outside world has no relation to this discussion."

It appears that the efforts by the Lebanese government to confine weapons solely to the state's control (effectively disarming Hezbollah), in compliance with explicit American and Israeli demands, have been unsuccessful thus far. This situation, according to news reports, suggests that Israel may be moving closer to executing large-scale attacks on the strongholds of the Iran-backed group.

Last Friday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun had announced his country's commitment to the cessation of hostilities agreement with Israel, reached a year prior under the auspices of the United States and France. Aoun expressed regret that Israel had not honored the agreement, which stipulated a full and complete withdrawal from the South within 60 days of its commencement. He confirmed that Israel "still occupies 5 hills and is doubling its attacks on Lebanon amid daily threats against the country and its people." The agreement officially entered into force on November 27, 2024, yet Israel's non-compliance is evidenced by its near-daily raids in Southern Lebanon and the continued presence of its forces in 5 points within Lebanese territory.