BEIRUT (Dispatches) – The leader of Hezbollah resistance movement Sheikh Naim Qassem on Friday dismissed calls for the group to disarm, warning that any such effort was a ‘delusion’ that would serve the Zionist regime’s interests.
“No one will be allowed to remove the weapons of the resistance,” Qassem said during a public address focused on Lebanon’s defense strategy and the current political landscape. “Israel wants to see Lebanon weak and defenseless so it can fulfill its expansionist ambitions.”
He pointed out that proposals to disarm Hezbollah under the pretext of strengthening the state amounted to offering a “gift” to the Zionist regime. The resistance movement’s weapons, Qassem said, were a response to Israeli occupation and aggression, and remained essential to safeguarding Lebanon’s sovereignty.
“The Lebanese army alone is not equipped to defend the country,” he said, asserting that Hezbollah’s military role was necessary alongside state institutions.
The remarks escalate a simmering debate over Hezbollah’s military autonomy. Qassem accused domestic critics advocating disarmament of promoting foreign agendas and inflaming artificial crises. “The true danger is Israel’s occupation and ongoing aggression,” he said.
Sheikh Naim Qassem also warned Israel on Friday evening not to continue its attacks on Lebanon, emphasizing that the resistance movement has options to respond to the attacks at the appropriate time if they continue.
He condemned the Zionist regime’s actions, saying it has carried out “over 2,700 attacks on Lebanon since the ceasefire was agreed upon (in November last year), despite having no justification for such hostilities.”
He stressed that while Hezbollah has allowed room for diplomacy to address these violations, this opportunity is not open-ended.
Directly addressing the Zionist regime, Sheikh Qassem noted that Hezbollah has “multiple response options and does not fear confrontation,” stressing that the response will come at a time of Hezbollah’s choosing. 
A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Lebanon since November, which ended months of cross-border warfare between the Zionist regime and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which escalated into a full-scale conflict in September.
Lebanese authorities have reported more than 2,742 Israeli violations of the truce, including the deaths of at least 192 victims and injuries to 485 others.