People hold Hezbollah flags while commemorating Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, May 25, 2026. (Credit: Raghed Waked/Reuters)
BEIRUT — On the centenary of Lebanon’s 1926 Constitution, Hezbollah defended its armed ''resistance'' as constitutional and renewed its call to abolish the sectarian system, despite opening a front with Israel twice in under three years.
In a lengthy statement, Hezbollah said that "resisting occupation and aggression does not constitute a violation of the Constitution, but rather a legitimate national right, protected by the principles of the Lebanese Constitution and by Lebanon’s Arab and international commitments."
While the Constitution does not explicitly address disarmament or the state’s monopoly on arms — principles enshrined in the Taif Agreement that ended the 1975–1990 civil war — it does state that the legitimate armed forces are ''subject to the authority'' of the executive. ''No political or governmental decision can deprive our people of their natural right to defend their land or strip all legitimacy from resistance against occupation,'' Hezbollah said.
Beyond Taif, several U.N. resolutions, including United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, call for the disarmament of all militias in Lebanon. Since March 2, the Iran-backed group has reported dozens of daily attacks on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and northern Israel, as Israel maintains a ''buffer zone'' covering more than 600 square kilometers along the border.
Hezbollah also said the Taif Agreement ''leaves no ambiguity'' about relations with Israel, describing them as one of ''hostility, occupation and permanent threat,'' and rejecting any normalization or direct negotiations. Talks between Lebanese and Israeli military delegations are set to resume Friday in Washington. On Sunday, the party’s leader, Naim Qassem, threatened to take to the streets to topple the government if the talks proceed, drawing widespread condemnation.
The group also called for ending political sectarianism — an element of both the Constitution and Taif — arguing it can no longer produce a ''just, effective and stable'' state. It further urged Lebanon to ''turn the page on mandates, high commissions and foreign tutelage,'' an apparent reference to its frequent accusations that the United States is imposing its ''dictates'' on Lebanese authorities. Critics, however, point to Hezbollah’s own ties to Tehran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which provides it with funding and support.
