Hezbollah refuses to hand over its weapons to Lebanese government

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem threatened open confrontation on Friday if Lebanon's government proceeds with plans to disarm the militant group, calling the cabinet decision an implementation of "US-Israeli orders."

The Lebanese Council of Ministers approved a decision last week requiring the army to urgently develop a disarmament plan and implement it before year-end, marking the most severe challenge to Hezbollah since the civil war ended in 1990.

"The decision is dangerous and exposes the country to a major crisis," Qassem said during a televised speech in Baalbek. "It strips the resistance and Lebanon of defensive weapons during aggression."

Qassem vowed Hezbollah would not surrender its weapons and warned of armed conflict, if not outright war.

"The party will fight a (historic) battle if necessary in the face of this Israeli-US project, whatever the cost," he said. "There will be no life in Lebanon if the government tries to confront the party."

The Hezbollah secretary-general laid the blame on the government in Beirut, saying it "bears full responsibility for any internal explosion and any destruction of Lebanon."

Qassem rejected the idea of protests at this time "because there is room for dialogue with the government," but warned demonstrations could escalate if deemed necessary.

"This is our land together, our homeland together, we live together, or there is no life for Lebanon," he said in a direct warning to authorities.

Qassem also thanked Iran for supporting Hezbollah "with money, weapons, capabilities, and media and political positions."

The Tehran-backed militant group remains the only faction that retained its military arsenal after Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war. However, it has been significantly weakened as a consequence of its most recent conflict with Israel.

Hezbollah first struck Israel in October 2023 after the breakout of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, leading to Israeli airstrikes across southern Lebanon and Beirut's suburbs and a limited ground incursion.

The fighting intensified last September after Israel remotely detonated thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members and killing Qassem's predecessor Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike.

Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in November 2024, mediated by the US and France.