The leader of the Kataeb party, Samy Gemayel. (Credit: Photo published on the party's website)
BEIRUT — Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel on Tuesday night criticized remarks by Hezbollah official Naim Qassem, who had stated that his party's weapons — which he refuses to place under state authority — do not pose a threat to settlements in northern Israel.
"If the weapons do not threaten the settlements in the north [of Israel] and do not target south of the Litani, according to Sheikh Naim's latest statements, then they are certainly now being used to intimidate the Lebanese, pressure institutions, and influence elections," Gemayel wrote in a post on X.
In his post, the Christian leader shared a screenshot of Qassem's remarks, in where he said: "We, Hezbollah, say that the cease-fire agreement concerns only the south of the Litani, that Israel must withdraw from Lebanon and release prisoners, and that there is no danger to the settlements in the north."
The Kataeb party also responded Wednesday to Qassem's remarks in a statement. "The secretary-general of Hezbollah delivered a speech to reassure Israel that no threat targets its northern settlements and expressed his party’s willingness to disarm south of the Litani in order to reassure Israel, while insisting that weapons would not be handed over north of the Litani. The natural question that comes to mind is: What is the purpose of these weapons after all this? And where did the idea of 'resistance to Israel' go if today its priority is to reassure Israel rather than fight it?" the party said.
Kataeb considered that "it is now clear that Hezbollah’s threats target its 'internal enemy,' the Lebanese government and state, rather than the Israeli enemy."
American pressure on Lebanese authorities to disarm Hezbollah is intensifying, as the threat of Israeli escalation looms over Lebanon.
On Tuesday, the Hezbollah secretary-general accused the United States of wanting to push Lebanon to make concessions to Israel, which is demanding negotiations with Lebanon on the demarcation of their border, even as it continues to violate on a daily basis the cease-fire established in November 2024.
