Hezbollah will not surrender its weapons under any circumstances, the group’s leader Naim Qassem said on Friday, amid intensified US pressure on Lebanon to disarm the Iran-backed organisation and ongoing Israeli strikes against its operatives in southern Lebanon.
In remarks broadcast on a Hezbollah-affiliated television channel, Qassem rejected the idea outright. “We will not let anyone disarm Hezbollah or disarm the resistance" against Israel, he said, adding that “this idea of disarmament must be removed from the dictionary."
Qassem said Hezbollah remained open to discussions about a broader “defence strategy," but only on its own terms. Such talks, he stressed, could not take place “under the pressure of occupation" by Israel. He also called for Israel to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon, end its military actions, and for the Lebanese state to begin reconstruction efforts in affected areas.
His comments followed similar statements from senior Hezbollah figures, who have also ruled out any transfer of weapons unless Israel halts its “aggression" and withdraws completely from Lebanese territory. One official, Wafic Safa, said the issue was not disarmament but a national defence strategy aligned with the Lebanese presidency’s stated goals.
The debate comes as President Joseph Aoun has pledged to ensure that 2025 becomes the year in which the Lebanese state holds a monopoly on arms. His position reflects growing internal and external calls for Hezbollah to integrate its military capabilities under state control.
However, Hezbollah continues to frame its arsenal as essential to Lebanon’s defence, insisting it will remain armed as long as Israeli forces operate in the region.