Hezbollah’s Qassem calls cabinet decision dangerous, vows to keep weapons

Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem accused Lebanon’s government of serving “the Israeli project, knowingly or not,” warning that a recent cabinet decision aims to disarm the group during ongoing hostilities.

In a speech on Friday, Qassem said the August 5 decision “strips Lebanon of its defensive weapons during aggression and facilitates the killing of resistance fighters and their families.” 

He criticized advocates of “sovereignty and exclusive state control of weapons,” questioning why they had not reacted to “the Israeli chief of staff standing on our land congratulating his soldiers on this occupation and promising more, or to [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s talk of Greater Israel.”

Qassem called the government’s move “dangerous,” accusing it of violating coexistence and plunging Lebanon into a “very deep crisis,” and cautioned against “dragging the Lebanese army into internal strife.”

He vowed Hezbollah would not surrender its weapons while the “Israeli-American aggression” continues, pledging a “Karbala-style battle” in response and expressing confidence in victory.

“The government bears full responsibility for any internal explosion or destruction in Lebanon,” Qassem said.