Hezbollah leader rejects disarmament demands, labels them 'gift' to Israel

Beirut, April 19 (IANS) Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has dismissed calls for the group to disarm, warning that any such effort was a "delusion" that would serve Israeli interests.

"No one will be allowed to remove the weapons of the resistance," Qassem said on Friday during a public address focused on Lebanon's defence strategy and the current political landscape.

"Israel wants to see Lebanon weak and defenceless so it can fulfill its expansionist ambitions."

He argued that proposals to disarm Hezbollah under the pretext of strengthening the state amounted to offering a "gift" to Israel, Xinhua news agency reported.

The resistance movement's weapons, Qassem said, were a response to Israeli occupation and aggression, and remained essential to safeguarding Lebanon's sovereignty.

"The Lebanese army alone is not equipped to defend the country," he said, asserting that Hezbollah's military role was necessary alongside state institutions.

The remarks escalate a simmering debate over Hezbollah's military autonomy, which has long divided Lebanese politics.

Qassem accused domestic critics advocating disarmament of promoting foreign agendas and inflaming artificial crises.

"The true danger is Israel's occupation and ongoing aggression," he said.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, during a visit to Qatar this week, reaffirmed his commitment to bringing all weapons under state control by 2025, emphasising that the process must be driven by "domestic consensus, not external dictates".

He also praised Hezbollah's "restraint" since a November truce with Israel, citing the group's handover of more than 100 positions near the Litani River.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam echoed the President's stance in an interview with Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya, stating that "only the state may decide matters of war and peace".

Both Aoun and Salam, who have publicly questioned Hezbollah's military role, assumed office in recent months following more than a year of intense conflicts between the group and Israel.

Their appointments have been widely interpreted as a sign of Hezbollah's waning influence within Lebanon's political establishment.

Under the November ceasefire, Israel was meant to withdraw all of its forces from south Lebanon.

But despite the deal, its troops have remained at five south Lebanon positions that they deem "strategic".

Israel has also continued to carry out near-daily strikes against Lebanon -- including on Friday -- saying it is targeting members of Hezbollah.

--IANS

int/khz