Naim Qassem warns Hezbollah 'will not allow anyone to disarm' group

Hezbollah chief says no dialogue over Lebanon defence strategy until Israel withdraws

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has led the group since 2024. Reuters

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has said the group “will not allow anyone to disarm” it and that no dialogue over a broader defence strategy in Lebanon will take place until Israel withdraws from Lebanese territory.

“Our weapons are the backbone of the resistance, they are the ones that liberated our country,” Mr Qassem said in a televised speech on Friday night. “We must cut this idea of disarmament from the dictionary.”

Mr Qassem said those who publicly called for the disarmament of Hezbollah were seeking to “create strife” between the group and the Lebanese Army and he said they would not succeed.

Lebanon is under pressure from countries such as the US to fully disarm Hezbollah, the Lebanese armed group and political party that was weakened by its war with Israel last year.

But disarming the group, which still wields considerable firepower and support from its Shiite follower base, is a deeply sensitive issue in Lebanon – and once an unthinkable conversation.

“Lebanon cannot submit to American commands,” Mr Qassem said.

President Joseph Aoun has said he wants to bring all weapons under state control by the end of the year, but has insisted this must only be done through dialogue. The former army commander has also said Hezbollah fighters could be allowed to join the Lebanese military.

Despite a ceasefire deal being agreed last November between Hezbollah and Israel, the latter has continued to regularly bombard Lebanon and retains five positions within Lebanese territory.

Under the truce, Hezbollah was to pull its fighters back north of Lebanon's Litani River and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south.

The Lebanese Army has gradually increased its presence in the south under the terms of the deal.

Mr Qassem said Hezbollah and Lebanon had abided by the agreement, but Israel had broken it more than 2,700 times. Hezbollah insists the ceasefire terms do not apply to the rest of Lebanon.

“The ceasefire agreement clearly mentions that the scope of the agreement is strictly in the south of the Litani area,” Mr Qassem said.

He became the secretary general of Hezbollah last year after his long-time predecessor Hassan Nasrallah was killed by Israel in bombing of Beirut. In 2024, Israel also wiped out almost all of Hezbollah's senior leadership, but killed more than 4,000 people – while its attacked displaced more than 1.2 million people in Lebanon.

The financial cost to Lebanon is many billions of dollars, and vast parts of the country have been levelled. Who will rebuild Lebanon remains unclear, as it was already grappling with a major economic crisis and with international donors holding back. Some, such as the US, have hinted that any future aid is conditional on a further weakening of Hezbollah.

Mr Qassem said “the Lebanese state must begin to commit to its duty of reconstruction” and warned against “tying the beginning of reconstruction to disarming”.