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Naim Qassem: We Will Not Leave the Weapon Before Israel’s Withdrawal
The Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, stated on Sunday that Israeli threats will not force the party to surrender or give up its weapons, despite ongoing American pressures to disarm resistance fighters.
In a televised speech marking the Ashura commemoration, Qassem said, “This threat does not make us accept surrender, nor does anyone tell us to soften our stance; rather, we demand the end of aggression.” He added, “We will not be part of legitimizing the occupation in Lebanon and the region, and we will not accept normalization because it is a form of concession and humiliation. Those who normalize will see negative results from Israel and America.”
Qassem continued, “We are the bearers of the resistance’s trust, and we will continue facing challenges. We will not bow to threats.” He clarified that Israeli and American aggression and the crimes Israel commits must be stopped, emphasizing that Israel is the problem, and resistance is the real and necessary solution, while Israel remains an existential crisis.
Regarding negotiations, he confirmed that Hezbollah’s stance is in favor of completing the first phase of implementing UN Resolution 1701, then Hezbollah should be present to implement the resolution, with flexibility for dialogue and consensus.
Talking about the American paper handed over by US envoy Tom Barrack to Lebanese politicians last June, Qassem described it as a “surrender paper.” According to him, the paper includes clauses related to disarming Hezbollah—specifically its missile and ballistic capabilities and drones—within six months, along with the disarmament of all Lebanese armed factions, accompanied by a clear implementation plan.
The paper also addressed financial and economic reforms, tightening control over financial institutions, stopping money smuggling, establishing political relations with Syria, demarcating the borders with Israel, recognizing Shabaa farms as Syrian territory, and fixing the Blue Line as an internationally recognized border.
It further discussed linking financial support and reconstruction to disarmament, and connecting the release of Lebanese prisoners in Israel to disarming Hezbollah, in addition to maintaining Hezbollah as a political component in parliament and government, while moving away from independent military actions.
At the end of the discussion, the paper set a two-month deadline for the government to submit a clear implementation plan, warning that the alternative is Israeli military operations to destroy the weapons if these clauses are not implemented.
