Hezbollah Calls Disarmament Plan ‘Grave Sin,’ Refuses to Disarm

Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement has condemned the government’s decision to disarm it as a “grave sin,” warning that such a move would weaken the country against Israeli aggression. The group declared it would ignore the decision entirely, treating it “as if it did not exist.”

On Tuesday, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced that the Lebanese government had requested the national army to develop a plan by the end of the year, under which only state institutions would be permitted to possess weapons in the country.

“The government of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has committed a grave sin by adopting a decision that strips Lebanon of the weapons of resistance against the Israeli enemy,” Hezbollah said in a statement on Wednesday.

It added that the decision “weakens Lebanon’s strength and position in the face of the ongoing American-Israeli aggression and grants Israel what it failed to achieve during its assault on Lebanon”, which Hezbollah confronted, forcing the Israeli regime to agree to an accord “obligating Israel to stop its aggression and withdraw from Lebanon.”

According to the statement, the decision clearly violates the national pact and contradicts the government’s ministerial statement, under which the government is obligated to take all necessary measures to liberate all Lebanese territories from Israeli occupation and extend the sovereignty of the state over all its territory, stressing that preserving Lebanon’s strength, including the resistance’s arms, and weaponizing the army is part of these necessary measures.

The movement noted that the decision was made based on “dictates of the US Envoy [Tom] Barrack”, as Nawaf Salam said that the cabinet had “decided to continue discussions on the American proposal next Thursday”.

According to the statement, the decision “serves the interests of Israel and leaves Lebanon exposed to the Israeli enemy without any deterrence.”

“This decision undermines Lebanon’s sovereignty and gives Israel a free hand to tamper with its security, geography, politics and future existence. Therefore, we will treat this decision as if it does not exist,”  Hezbollah stated.

The group stressed that it remains open to dialogue, and to ending the Israeli aggression on Lebanon, liberating its land, freeing its captives, and reconstructing the country as well as engaging in discussions over a national security strategy, but not under the weight of aggression.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem has urged the Lebanese government to focus on confronting Israeli aggression rather than disarming the resistance.

“This is the priority, not disarming to appease the Israeli enemy. We are not concerned with disarmament simply because the United States or some Arab countries are exerting pressure to impose this option,” he said on Tuesday.

Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire that took effect on November 27, 2024. Under the deal, Israel was required to withdraw fully from Lebanese territory—but has kept forces stationed at five sites, in southern Lebanon, namely Labbouneh, Mount Blat, Owayda Hill, Aaziyyeh, and Hammamis Hill.

This occupation constitutes a clear violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the terms of the agreement reached last November.

Since the implementation of the ceasefire, Israel has violated the agreement more than 3,700 times through repeated assaults on Lebanese territory. Lebanese authorities have warned that the regime’s violations of the ceasefire threaten national stability.