Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem stated Wednesday that demands for the group’s disarmament ultimately serve Israel’s interests, as US officials continue to press Lebanon to dismantle the Iran-backed terrorist group’s arsenal.
“Those who call for submitting arms practically demand submitting them to Israel ... We will not submit to Israel,” Qassem said in a televised address, as quoted by Reuters.
The remarks follow reports that the US is pushing the Lebanese government to issue a formal commitment to disarm Hezbollah before any ceasefire agreement can be reached in the ongoing conflict with Israel. According to five sources cited by Reuters, the Trump administration has linked a disarmament pledge to halting Israeli military operations in Lebanon.
Hezbollah, which has suffered heavy losses in the war with Israel over the past year—including the deaths of thousands of terrorists and the destruction of civilian areas—has so far refused to surrender its weapons but is reportedly considering reducing its arsenal.
“Those who call for disarmament on a domestic, global or Arab level serve the Israeli project,” Qassem said on Wednesday, adding that the United States was targeting Hezbollah’s drones and missiles because they “scare” Israel.
He accused US Special Envoy Thomas Barrack of prioritizing Israel’s security over Lebanon’s. “Israel will not be able to defeat us and it will not be able to take Lebanon hostage,” Qassem declared.
The proposal discussed earlier this month in Beirut would require Hezbollah to disarm within four months in exchange for an Israeli troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon and an end to Israeli air strikes.
Israel has continued to strike Hezbollah targets in Lebanon since a November ceasefire went into effect, due to the fact that the terrorist organization has continued to reestablish its infrastructure in violation of the agreement.