Hezbollah Chief Rejects Disarmament While Israeli Forces Remain in Lebanon

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem has again rejected calls for the group to surrender its weapons, saying there would be no disarmament while Israel maintains what he described as an occupation of Lebanese territory. In a speech, he said Hezbollah would consider reaching an understanding only after Israeli forces withdraw from Lebanon and what he called American “guardianship” over the country ends.

Qassem also addressed recent election results in the United States and Israel. He described the American outcome as an “earthquake” with a positive impact on the resistance, and said the political project pursued by President Donald Trump and his allies had collapsed and could no longer continue. He said Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, whom he described as having portrayed himself as an all-powerful leader, had been politically weakened. “The resistance has achieved a victory through the defeat of Trump and Netanyahu,” he said, adding that Hezbollah would deal with whoever followed them.

The remarks were delivered in a televised address marking Hezbollah’s annual Martyrs’ Day commemoration on Wednesday, November 11. The source reports that the speech came amid growing tensions between Hezbollah and the Lebanese government over the group’s refusal to surrender its weapons.

Qassem reiterated Hezbollah’s demands: an end to Israeli military operations in Lebanon, the withdrawal of IDF forces, the return of displaced residents to southern Lebanon, and the start of reconstruction. “At the top of our priorities is the need to stop Israeli aggression, remove the enemy from the country, return the people to southern Lebanon and begin the reconstruction process,” he said. He also called on Lebanese authorities to abandon the framework agreement with Israel and resume indirect negotiations, arguing that the existing arrangement had failed to protect Lebanon’s interests.

According to the source, the United States has been pressing Beirut to establish a state monopoly on weapons, while Hezbollah maintains that disarming under continued Israeli military presence would amount to surrendering the country’s ability to defend itself. Israel and Lebanon reached a US-mediated agreement in June aimed at ending the fighting and setting arrangements for an Israeli withdrawal and the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south. The source states that implementation has stalled, largely over disagreements about Hezbollah’s disarmament and Israel’s continued military presence in parts of the south, a situation that leaves displaced families awaiting return (Romans 12:18).

The source explains that the current confrontation has its roots in Hezbollah’s decision to enter the regional war in March by launching attacks against Israel in support of Iran. Israel responded with extensive airstrikes and a ground operation in southern Lebanon. Citing figures from Al Jazeera, the source reports that Lebanese authorities have recorded more than 4,300 deaths, and that approximately one million people were displaced.

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