Hezbollah "will not allow anyone to disarm it," the Lebanese group's leader, Naim Qassem, said as Washington pushed Beirut to force the Iran-backed movement to hand over its weapons.
Hezbollah, long a dominant force in Lebanese politics, has been left weakened by more than a year of hostilities with Israel. They were triggered by the Gaza war, including the Israeli ground invasion and two months of heavy bombardment that destroyed the group's leadership.
The fighting was largely halted by a ceasefire in November, but not before the group's longtime leader and Qassem predecessor Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli air strike.
"We will not allow anyone to disarm Hezbollah or disarm the resistance against Israel, Qassem said.
"We have to take this idea of disarmament out of the vocabulary," he added.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun announced this week that he wants to "make 2025 the year of limiting weapons in the country," adding that he hopes to achieve that goal through "dialogue" with Hezbollah.
Qassem said his group was ready for dialogue on a defense strategy, "but not under the pressure of the occupation" by Israel.
"Israel must withdraw (from south Lebanon) and end its aggression, and the Lebanese state must begin the process of reconstruction," he added.
His comments came hours after another Hezbollah official announced that the group was refusing to discuss handing over its weapons until Israel fully withdrew from South Lebanon.
"This is not about disarmament," Wafiq Safa said in an interview.
Safa, who experts believe belongs to the movement's most radical faction, said Hezbollah had betrayed its position to Aoun.
In his interview, Safa asked, "Wouldn't it be logical for Israel to withdraw first, then release the prisoners, then end its aggression, and then discuss a defensive strategy?"
"Defensive strategy means thinking about how to defend Lebanon, not preparing the country to hand over its weapons," he added.
Analysts say the once unthinkable idea of disarming Hezbollah may no longer be the case and may even be inevitable. | BGNES
