Government cannot act without Hezbollah: Hassan Fadlallah

Less than a year ahead of the parliamentary elections and in advance of a Cabinet meeting devoted to the disarmament of militias, several Hezbollah MPs spoke out on Monday to reiterate the certainties of the political group and the resistance they claim to embody in the face of Israel.

The statements follow the tone and messages delivered over the weekend by the party’s secretary-general, Naim Qassem, who said Hezbollah is “now an integral part of the state structure” and is “contributing to its construction and revival,” accusing Washington of seeking to “stoke conflict” between the pro-Iranian party and the Lebanese Army.

Speaking from Kounin, southern Lebanon, at a commemoration in honor of residents killed during the war with Israel, MP Hassan Fadlallah said “the majority in the current government cannot act unilaterally [on the disarmament issue], since there are forces in the government whose opinions are binding since they represent a large part of the Lebanese people,” according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).

During previous Cabinet meetings on the disarmament issue, ministers from the Hezbollah-Amal coalition systematically left the session. Monday’s meeting is set to focus on the first monthly report by the Lebanese Army on the process launched during previous Cabinet sessions between early August and early September.

“Instead of discussing the monopoly on weapons, the government should have made as its first, second, and third priorities confronting Israeli attacks, protecting civilians, and equipping the army to confront Israeli aggression. The resistance is not concerned with the monopoly on weapons,” he added.

Hussein Nemr, a Hezbollah official in the Bekaa region, said Monday that the “resistance community” will record a “never-before-seen” turnout in the 2026 parliamentary elections, NNA also reported. At a commemorative ceremony in Hermel, he said, “the resistance community, aware, educated, loyal, and ideologically committed, fully understands what is happening around it, knows the dangers and will record broad popular participation in the next parliamentary elections, with a turnout never reached before.”

A similar message was voiced in Hanouiye, southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah MP Hussein Jichi said that “resistance remains strong, stable, and rooted in minds.” He added, “As long as there is occupation and threats from the Zionists, there will be resistance, until the state assumes the responsibility of protecting the country and the citizens and is up to that challenge.”

Hezbollah was significantly weakened by the conflict with Israel that lasted from October 2023 to November 2024, killing many of the group’s leaders and fighters. Despite the losses suffered during the war, the party still managed to win a large number of municipalities in its areas of influence during municipal elections held in May of this year.

“There are those who want to postpone the parliamentary elections, thinking this will prolong the life of the government, whose goal is to strip Hezbollah of its weapons,” added Hussein Nemr. “We tell them: you are deluded, because Hezbollah's weapons are safe, and we cannot discuss this issue as long as an enemy exists and occupies our land; it is therefore an irrevocable choice.”

The debate over the electoral law, especially concerning the voting rights of Lebanese abroad, continues to divide political actors and stokes fears of a possible postponement of the polls. The bloc opposed to Hezbollah is pushing to amend the 2017 law to allow expatriates to vote for all 128 MPs. Conversely, the Hezbollah-Amal alliance and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) want to maintain Article 112 as is, limiting diaspora representation to just six MPs.

Despite a cease-fire agreement reached on Nov. 27, 2024, Israel continues to carry out near-daily airstrikes, mainly in southern Lebanon, and occupies five areas in the same region.