A portrait of Hassan Nasrallah, the former leader of Hezbollah, in the ruins of a building in Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon, on Sept. 23, 2025. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L’Orient-Le Jour)
BEIRUT — On the 82nd Independence Day, Hezbollah urged Lebanese authorities to take “concrete measures” to rebuild the South, devastated by last year’s war with Israel, while stressing the need to preserve the country’s strategic assets.
Hezbollah is under both local and international pressure to hand over its arsenal to the Lebanese army.
The party has not opposed disarmament south of the Litani River along the border with Israel — which accuses it of trying to rebuild its capabilities — it refuses to hand over its weapons in the rest of the country.
Hezbollah emphasized in a statement that the country should “hold on to Lebanon’s elements of strength and not give up on them, in order to preserve its national rights and use them as leverage to foil all projects and plans targeting Lebanon and the region.” The party also urged officials to take “concrete measures” for reconstruction, strengthen “national unity,” and reject “any form of guardianship or outside dictates.”
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has repeatedly defended the actions of his government, which has been accused of not wanting to realize the reconstruction of the South, stating that although several infrastructure renovation projects have been launched, the cabinet does not have the funds for large-scale reconstruction.
The government is awaiting the organization of international support conferences, while international donors — spearheaded by the United States — are refusing any financial aid as long as Hezbollah remains armed.
Hezbollah also demanded that “every effort be made” to compel Israel to implement the truce agreement of Nov. 27, 2024 and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.
Both measures call for a complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from Lebanese territory, where it still maintains positions, as well as the disarmament of armed groups throughout Lebanon. Hezbollah, however, maintains that this point applies only to the area south of the Litani.
“Preserving Lebanon’s independence, amid the storms and dangers threatening Lebanon and the region, is the responsibility of all Lebanese,” Hezbollah added, saying that this requires a “spirit of resistance.”
