Hezbollah chief rejects disarmament, demands Israel comply with ceasefire

Naim Qassem says radical volition not wantonness weapons ‘that support america from our enemy’, insists connected extremity to Israeli attacks.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem has rejected increasing unit to disarm the group, informing that Lebanon’s sovereignty could lone beryllium achieved by ending Israeli “aggression”.

Speaking connected Monday from Beirut, Qassem said the Lebanese authorities indispensable archetypal guarantee Israel complies with a November 2024 ceasefire statement earlier talks connected a nationalist defence strategy tin instrumentality place.

“The absorption volition stay arsenic a beardown obstruction preventing Israel from achieving its goals, and Israel volition not beryllium capable to stay successful Lebanon oregon execute its expansionist task done Lebanon,” the Hezbollah main said.

He dismissed Lebanese authorities and overseas proposals to integrate Hezbollah’s arsenal into a nationalist defence strategy, insisting that Israel indispensable archetypal retreat from Lebanese territory, merchandise prisoners, and halt attacks.

“If you genuinely privation sovereignty, past halt the aggression. We volition not wantonness the weapons that honour us, nor the weapons that support america from our enemy,” Qassem said.

“If this authorities continues successful its existent form, it cannot beryllium trusted to safeguard Lebanon’s sovereignty,” helium added.

Last month, the Lebanese Council of Ministers approved a solution tasking the service with formulating a program to disarm Hezbollah by the extremity of the year.

The decree was successful accordance with a United States inaugural that includes vague promises that Israel would extremity its concern of parts of southbound Lebanon and regular attacks connected the state if Hezbollah’s weapons are removed.

Hezbollah has said it volition treat the determination “as if it doesn’t exist”.

Qassem’s comments came arsenic Israel said it would see scaling backmost its subject beingness successful confederate Lebanon if Beirut’s equipped forces moved to prehend Hezbollah’s weapons. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bureau announced Monday that Israel was acceptable to enactment Lebanon’s furniture determination tasking the service with a disarmament program by year-end.

“If the Lebanese Armed Forces instrumentality the indispensable steps to instrumentality the disarmament of Hezbollah, Israel volition prosecute successful reciprocal measures, including a phased reduction” by the Israeli military, the Israeli premier minister’s bureau said.

The Israeli announcement came a time aft Netanyahu met with US envoy Tom Barrack, who has been heavy progressive successful a program that would disarm Hezbollah and retreat Israeli forces from Lebanon.

‘Step-by-step’

Barrack called connected Israel to honour commitments nether a ceasefire with Hezbollah.

“There’s ever a step-by-step attack but I deliberation the Lebanese authorities has done their part. They’ve taken the archetypal step. Now what we request is Israel to comply,” Barrack said during meetings with Lebanese officials successful Beirut past week.

Lebanon’s authoritative National News Agency connected Monday reported US lawman envoy Morgan Ortagus had arrived successful Beirut earlier planned meetings with officials.

Israel inactive occupies 5 positions successful confederate Lebanon, contempt a US-brokered ceasefire past November. It was to retreat its forces wrong 2 months, and Lebanon’s equipped forces were to instrumentality power of the country’s south, territory that has agelong been a stronghold for Hezbollah.

Israeli forces person continued to transportation retired aerial attacks crossed Lebanon successful near-daily violations of the November truce, causing deaths and injuries among civilians, including Syrian refugees, and demolition of properties and infrastructure.

In the latest Israeli aggression, 1 idiosyncratic was killed successful a drone onslaught successful confederate Lebanon. Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said the drone deed a pick-up motortruck connected the Ain al-Mazrab-Tebnine roadworthy successful the Bint Jbeil district.

Later connected Monday, the Israeli subject claimed successful a connection it had killed a Hezbollah subordinate and would “continue to run to region threats posed to the citizens of Israel”.

Hezbollah, the lone faction that kept its weapons aft Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civilian war, emerged severely weakened from past year’s warfare with Israel, with the assassination of elder leaders, including erstwhile main Hassan Nasrallah, thousands of its fighters and Lebanese civilians killed, and tens of thousands of the Shia and different communities displaced from their destroyed homes.

The latest developments travel arsenic the United Nations Security Council prepares to ballot Monday connected extending the mandate of UNIFIL, the planetary peacekeeping ngo successful confederate Lebanon, until August 2026.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies