Calls to disarm Hezbollah align with Israeli demands

Sheikh Naim Qassem, speaking to the Lebanese news channel al Mayadeen, stressed,” Lebanon’s strength lies in its people, its army, and its resistance. Anyone advocating to disarm the resistance is, in effect, weakening the entire country.”

Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem stressed that the current political pressure facing the party is not merely targeted at Hezbollah but constitutes a broader assault on Lebanon’s sovereignty and its national fabric.

He reassured supporters that Hezbollah, despite the severe blows it had endured, is not a defeated force. “A people like this, an Ummah like this, a party and resistance like this, cannot be defeated,” he declared. “Do you expect anything less than for us to remain present, strong, and capable of shaping the future we choose?”

Referring to the attacks that targeted Hezbollah’s advanced capabilities, including the bugged pagers and communications systems, as well as the assassination of the leaders and top ranking commanders of the group, Sheikh Qassem said the Israeli occupation had assumed Hezbollah would collapse. “And yet, here we are, back on our feet, engaged in fierce battle, and forcing Israel to agree to a ceasefire. What does that say?” he asked.

He listed what he called the elements of victory: Hezbollah’s continued operations, the Israeli failure to penetrate deeper into Lebanese territory or reach Beirut or Sidon, and the preservation of Lebanese unity.

Commenting on the Israeli occupation's expanding aggression, including recent attacks on Beirut’s southern suburb, Sheikh Qassem warned that Hezbollah’s patience was not unlimited. “Resistance will not wait forever. There are limits,” he stated and underscored that when the decision is made, “there is no third option between victory and martyrdom. We do not have surrender as an option.”

He attributed the Israeli occupation's escalated operations to US policy, saying Washington hopes to gain through diplomacy what it failed to achieve militarily. “Their strategy is: ‘Let’s use diplomacy to get what we couldn’t in war.’ So the Americans apply pressure through Israel,” he said.

Reflecting on the battlefield performance, Sheikh Qassem described the front as having exhibited “legendary resilience,” which he attributed to two main components. “First, the young fighters who were stationed there and the second component was the external support, what we call the bombardment,” he added, referring to the salvoes of missiles and drones launched by Hezbollah in support of frontline units.

As for Iran’s role in the broader regional war, Sheikh Qassem pointed to Tehran’s calculated restraint: “Iran understood that direct entry into the war would pull the United States into a confrontation with Tehran, giving Israel exactly what it wanted, a larger war with US backing.”

He stressed that direct military engagement is not the only form of meaningful support: “Participation comes in many forms. Iran did what mattered most, and it was deeply effective.”

Sheikh Qassem reiterated Hezbollah’s consistent opposition to normalization, whether by Syria or other Arab regimes: “We have always opposed normalization. Israel will not stop its aggression just because someone shakes hands with it. That’s an illusion.”