Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri. (Credit: NNA)
Parliament speaker Nabih Berri ruled out Friday any possibility of disarming Hezbollah until “Israel respects its commitments” under the cease-fire, including its withdrawal from positions it continues to occupy in southern Lebanon, calling the party's arsenal “one of the main negotiation cards” of the country.
In an interview with Asas Media, the speaker expressed satisfaction with the statements of President Joseph Aoun on the issue of the monopoly of arms by the state and the “conditions” set for dialogue. However, he stressed that pressure must also be put on Israel to meet its obligations, a pressure that “should be exerted by the Americans.”
“This means that we should not reveal all our cards and put them on the table,” he added. He recalled that since the truce came into force, “Lebanon has accomplished two things: the deployment of the army in the south and the withdrawal of Hezbollah” from the south of the Litani, adding that since then “Hezbollah has not fired a single shot.”
The party claimed only one mortar shelling since Nov. 27, 2024, a few days after the agreement, against a contested position at the border. This attack, intercepted, provoked a violent response from the Israeli army, which bombed several villages in the south. Since then, two other episodes of rocket fire from southern Lebanon have occurred at the end of March, but were not claimed, or even condemned by Hezbollah.
'Definitive cease-fire'
However, Berri said, “what was demanded of Israel has not been respected.”
“What is needed is a definitive cease-fire and a withdrawal of occupied Lebanese territories,” he added, stating that Israel “is doubling its attacks and strikes,” which have resulted in about 150 deaths since late November.
“At least a cease-fire is needed,” he said. Meanwhile, “we will not hand over Hezbollah's arms. The arms are our trump card, which we will not abandon without the full implementation of the cease-fire agreement and without initiating dialogue.” The truce agreement stipulates a gradual Israeli withdrawal from occupied villages in southern Lebanon so that the Lebanese army can deploy in areas formerly under Hezbollah control. However, even after the end of the transitional period on Feb. 18, the Israeli army maintained its presence in five points it deemed “strategic” in southern Lebanon.
Berri's statements come at a time when internal and external pressures for Hezbollah’s disarmament are intensifying on the Lebanese political scene. President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have committed to ensuring that only the state has a monopoly on arms. The government held its very first session dedicated to this issue on April 17.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem warned in a speech the following day that he “will not allow anyone to disarm” the party, although expressing readiness to engage in dialogue on a “comprehensive national defense strategy once Israel ceases to violate the cease-fire.”
