Senior Hezbollah Official Rejects Disarmament, Citing ‘National Defense Needs’
BEIRUT (Dispatches) – Hezbollah remains firmly committed to armed resistance and will not consider disarmament under any circumstances, a senior official from the group says.
Mahmoud Qomati, deputy head of Hezbollah’s Political Council, made the remarks during a public gathering in Lebanon’s eastern Baalbek region, according to the state-run National News Agency.
Qomati accused the United States of leading a regional campaign, carried out by the Zionist regime, aimed at dismantling what he described as the “pride of the Arab nation” and eradicating resistance movements.
“We are still the force that the Israeli enemy fears,” Qomati said. “Israel and the United States continue to target us, while others echo hollow calls to disarm the resistance in Palestine and Lebanon, offering nothing in return. Let it be clear: disarmament is not on the table, at any price.”
Qomati warned that Lebanon faces mounting threats “from the south, east, north, and even the sea,” framing Hezbollah’s arms as a necessary component of national defense.
Hezbollah and the Zionist regime reached a ceasefire agreement on Nov. 27, 2024, ending 14 months of hostilities. The deal calls for the occupying regime’s withdrawal from Lebanese territory and for the Lebanese army to assume security responsibilities along the southern border.
Hezbollah says the group’s weapons are an “internal matter,” pushing back against mounting pressure from the United States, which is calling on Lebanon for the disarmament of the resistance group.
Hezbollah officials, including Sheikh Naim Qassem, the movement’s secretary-general, maintain that the group keeps strong and committed to resistance, warning that although they are willing to give diplomacy a chance, they will not remain passive if Israel’s violations persist and the Lebanese state fails to act.