Hezbollah secretary general rules out laying down arms amid Israeli attacks

BEIRUT/ISTANBUL

Secretary-General Naim Qassem said Saturday that Hezbollah would not lay down its arms while Israel continued attacking southern Lebanon.

According to a report by the Lebanese News Agency NNA, Qassem said a ceasefire with Israel would impose responsibilities on the state, but Hezbollah was prepared in the face of Israel's continued attacks.

“Who in their right mind would give up their power? We will not give up our power while Israel continues its attacks,” he said in Dahieh, south of Beirut.

Qassem said Israel's attacks targeting civilians in Nabatieh are unacceptable and the state must do its part to deal with the situation.

He emphasized that the Lebanese resistance group would not remain silent in the face of the attacks. “Do you think we will remain silent forever? That is not true. You have already tried us, and we have no choice but our honor,” he said.

Hezbollah frequently states it will not surrender weapons

Hezbollah frequently states it will not surrender its weapons in the context of national sovereignty.

Lebanese Druze leader and former head of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt, and leader of the Christian Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, have also said weapons should only be in the hands of the state.

Israeli forces have conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah’s activities despite a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that was reached in November. The truce ended months of cross-border warfare between Israel and the Lebanese resistance group.

Lebanese authorities have reported nearly 3,000 Israeli violations of the truce, including the deaths of at least 224 people and injuries to more than 500, since the agreement was signed.