Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has declared that the terror group will not give up its weapons, warning that such a move would mean "the end of Lebanon."
According to Qassem, Hezbollah is prepared to pay additional prices in order to preserve its military capabilities.
"The weapons in our hands are meant to defend ourselves, our resistance, our people, and our homeland," he said. Qassem also claimed that relinquishing the weapons would weaken Lebanon and advance Israel’s strategic objectives.
Warning the Lebanese government against implementing plans to disarm militias, Qassem claimed such plans are being promoted under pressure from the United States and Israel.
He also stressed that Hezbollah "will not accept" attempts to force it to disarm, adding that if "the resistance and its environment do not surrender," Lebanon could deteriorate into a situation in which “not one stone will be left upon another, and no one will be safe." Hezbollah itself, he claimed, is "prepared for the worst-case scenario."
Qassem also said that Hezbollah remains committed to the "liberation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque" and the liberation of "Palestinian" land, vowing that "Israel and its servants will not achieve their desires."
Last year, under American and Israeli pressure, the Lebanese government approved a gradual plan to concentrate all weapons in the country under government control, including the weapons held by Hezbollah.
According to the plan submitted by the Lebanese Army, steps have been taken to collect and enforce control over weapons held by militias. Over the past year, reports have noted the discovery and seizure of weapons, explosives, rockets, and advanced arms attributed to Hezbollah.