Hezbollah accuses Lebanese government of handing over country
Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Naim Qassem, on August 15th accused the Lebanese government of “handing” the country to Israel by moving forward with plans to disarm the group, according to Radio France Internationale.
He also warned of the risk of civil war, speaking shortly after meeting with a senior Iranian official.
Hezbollah, once a dominant force in Lebanon’s political and military landscape, has been significantly weakened by the 2024 war with Israel, which destroyed part of its arsenal and decimated its leadership. As Israel’s sworn enemy, the Shiite movement now finds itself at the centre of a heated national debate over its disarmament, a move long demanded by Israel. The group has already rejected the government’s August 5th decision to confiscate its weapons.
Iran, whose “axis of resistance” includes Hezbollah, has also been severely affected by joint strikes from Israel and the United States earlier in June 2025, which targeted its nuclear sites.
Under US pressure and facing the threat of intensified Israeli strikes, the Lebanese government has announced a plan for the army to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year. “This government is carrying out the Israeli-American order to end the resistance, even if it leads to civil war and internal conflict,” Qassem said in a speech broadcast on Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television channel.
The remarks came after Qassem met with Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, who arrived in Beirut on August 13th. “The resistance will not surrender its weapons while [Israeli] aggression and occupation persist,” Qassem declared. “We will fight […] if necessary to counter this Israeli-American project, whatever the cost. We are convinced we will win this battle.”
He further criticised the government’s priorities. He said: “Its mission should be to ensure stability and rebuild Lebanon, not to hand the country to an insatiable Israeli tyrant or an American tyrant.”
Radio France Internationale, Maghrebi.org
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