Hezbollah chief rejects disarmament under ceasefire deal, claims it serves Israeli interests

The head of the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist organization, Naim Qassem, declared on Wednesday that “anyone calling today for the surrender of weapons, whether internally or externally, on the Arab or the international stage, is serving the Israeli project” in the Middle East. Qassem also accused the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack of “intimidating” Lebanon.

“The imminent danger is the Israeli aggression… this aggression must stop,” Qassem said, without noting the conflict was instigated by Hezbollah on Oct. 8, 2023.

“All political discourse in the country must be directed toward stopping the aggression, not toward handing over weapons to Israel,” the Hezbollah leader added.

Hezbollah, which openly calls for the Jewish state’s destruction, attacked northern Israel the day after Hamas invaded southern Israel, killing 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, and kidnapping 251 into Gaza. Dozens of Israelis were killed by Hezbollah rockets, and tens of thousands of northern Israeli residents were forced to evacuate their homes as a result.

Qassem became the head of Hezbollah after Israel eliminated his predecessor, Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in September 2024. Israel eventually eliminated most of Hezbollah’s top leadership, which led the terror group to agree to a ceasefire in late November 2024.

The internationally brokered ceasefire stipulates that Hezbollah must vacate southern Lebanon and move its forces north of the Litani River, which is located approximately 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border. The ceasefire envisions Lebanese forces and UN peacekeepers patrolling southern Lebanon, a region once dominated by Hezbollah. Earlier this year, Israel withdrew troops from most of southern Lebanon, retaining a presence in five small border areas where IDF soldiers continue to protect nearby Israeli communities.

Qassem declared that the ceasefire applies “exclusively south of the Litani River” and has rejected growing international calls for the disarming of Hezbollah.

“However, if some link weapons to the agreement, I say to them: weapons are an internal Lebanese affair that has nothing to do… with the Israeli enemy,” he stated.

On Thursday Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged Hezbollah and other militias to disarm their respective forces, and stressed that the Lebanese army should have monopoly on military power in Lebanon.

"It is the duty of all political parties... to seize this historic opportunity without hesitation and push for the exclusivity of weapons in the hands of the army and security forces and no one else," Aoun demanded in a televised speech.

In early July, the Hezbollah leader vowed that the terror group would not disarm under Israeli “threats.”

“This threat will not make us accept surrender,” Qassem argued, saying that Hezbollah needed arms to “resist” Israeli “aggression.”

“How can you expect us not to stand firm while the Israeli enemy continues its aggression, continues to occupy the five points, and continues to enter our territories and kill?” Qassem stated.

“We will not be part of legitimizing the occupation in Lebanon and the region. We will not accept normalization [with Israel],” he added.

Israel has stated on multiple occasions that it seeks peaceful relations with Lebanon. At the same time, it has consistently maintained that it will not accept threats from Hezbollah or other armed groups operating from Lebanese territory. During the current ceasefire, Hezbollah has reportedly sought to rearm and reorganize. In response, Israel has conducted strikes targeting Hezbollah personnel and military infrastructure.

The U.S. has emphasized that Washington’s financial support to Lebanon depends on the new Lebanese administration’s ability and willingness to disarm Hezbollah and stabilize the situation in the country.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has reportedly called for a new Cabinet meeting to debate “the extension of state sovereignty over all its territories exclusively by its own forces.” He added that the meeting would also address “arrangements for the ceasefire… which include ideas from ambassador Barrack’s proposal regarding its implementation.”