Hezbollah fighters during the funeral of "Abu Taleb" in the southern suburbs of Beirut in June 2024. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L'Orient-Le Jour)
Hezbollah's deputy head of the political council, Mahmoud Qomati, said that Lebanon's response to the American proposal, brought by envoy Tom Barrack earlier in the week regarding Hezbollah's disarmament process, was satisfactory to the group, in an interview with the Free Patriotic Movement's OTV. However, he stated that the party would not hand over its weapons, and that maintaining "Lebanon's sovereignty" depended on it.
"What we said in our response is that we will not discuss any new topic as long as the cease-fire agreement is not implemented ... and the official Lebanese response prioritized the application of this agreement and the end of the Israeli occupation in southern Lebanon," Qomati said. He noted that the response was prepared with President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, adding that Hezbollah's opinion had been taken into account.
Although a cease-fire agreement went into effect on Nov. 27, 2024, ending more than 13 months of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, Isrel continues to occupy five points in southern Lebanon and carries out almost daily strikes, primarily in that region.
Defense strategy
The Hezbollah official stressed, however, that the party remained open to dialogue about the role of its weapons within Lebanon's "defense strategy," reiterating the party's official stance, frequently repeated in recent months by various officials.
"The weapons of the resistance are part of Lebanon's defense and are subject to talks at the dialogue table with President Aoun," he said, adding that "the Americans have so far brought nothing to support the president's mission."
"Can the Lebanese Army defend Lebanon, and is it even allowed to have weapons? So, if we hand over our weapons, well, bye-bye to Lebanon's sovereignty and its current setup," he added.
U.S. envoy Tom Barrack said, regarding Hezbollah's disarmament, that President Donald Trump "didn't have patience" and that "if Lebanon wishes to keep pushing this issue away, the United States will no longer be there to discuss it," in an interview aired Tuesday night on LBCI.
Qomati also responded to a statement by Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, who said his party had no weapons except for the guards at the party's hedquarters in Maarab, by saying: "Who does Geagea think he's fooling? We know where their weapons caches are, where these weapons come from. Did he borrow weapons from the Free Patriotic Movement during the Tayouneh incident to kill citizens?"
In October 2021, armed clashes broke out between alleged Lebanese Forces supporters in Ain al-Remmaneh and supporters of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement who had entered the neighborhood on their way to a protest in front of Beirut's Justice Palace. The protest aimed to demand the dismissal of Judge Tarek Bitar, who is in charge of investigating the Aug. 4, 2020, Beirut Port explosions.
Controversy after Hezbollah official's comments
Elsewhere, a speech given last week during an Ashura commemoration in the Bekaa by local Hezbollah official, Faysal Shukr, sparked controversy in Lebanon. In his speech last Sunday, he said to "those threatening to disarm Hezbollah: we will snatch your souls."
Among those who denounced Shukr's comments was journalist Rami Naim, a Lebanese Forces supporter, who called for the Hezbollah official's arrest. "Hezbollah is a danger to Lebanon and its leaders have lost their minds after their defeat, act now before it's too late," he wrote on X.
Mohammad Barakat, editor-in-chief of Asas Media and also a well-known critic of the party, argued that Shukr's statements should be considered by the Lebanese judiciary as "a threat to eliminate the entire Lebanese people, including the presidency and government."
On the other hand, dozens of Hezbollah supporters online praised the stance of the party official.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.
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