Any mistake regarding the resistance would be a declaration of existential war: Qabalan

BEIRUT — Jaafari Mufti Ahmad Qabalan accused the government on Friday of pursuing a hostile policy toward southern Lebanon and Hezbollah. He warned that "any mistake regarding the resistance would amount to a declaration of existential war against Lebanon and its sovereignty."

During his Friday sermon at the Imam Hussein Mosque in Burj al-Barajneh, in Beirut's southern suburbs, the cleric denounced what he called "a political and security feudalism serving an American-Zionist project aimed at tearing the country apart and plundering its resources and wealth."

"Any mistake regarding the resistance would be a declaration of existential war against Lebanon and its sovereignty, serving a terrorist Israel and its destructive project to Judaize this country, which the knives of Tel Aviv's local proxies relentlessly pursue. Any mistake in this regard would be as grave as the destruction, crushing and burning of every parcel of Lebanese territory," he said.

Qabalan's remarks followed threats from Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah, who publicly acknowledged that the hundreds of kilograms of explosives seized in Dahr al-Baidar belonged to the party.

Responding to Justice Minister Adel Nassar, an ally of the Kataeb Party, who called for referring the case to the Judicial Council, a special tribunal whose rulings are final, he warned authorities of the "consequences and dangers" that could follow, adding that "no one knows what might happen to the country then."

Qabalan also argued that Lebanon no longer had the state capacity to "manage crises and carry out reforms." He accused the Cabinet of showing "indifference" and "persistently punishing the South, the southern suburbs and the Bekaa."

"The organized offensive against the resistance is a deliberate attack against Lebanon's sovereignty and its very existence," he added.

The Dahr al-Baidar case has reignited political tensions since authorities arrested two men linked to Hezbollah on Oct. 5 and seized large quantities of TNT and C-4 explosives. The case has revived fears of political assassinations and deepened the standoff between Hezbollah and the government, which has banned the group's military and security activities. Hezbollah maintains that the explosives were intended exclusively for its "resistance" against Israel in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah has not claimed any attacks against Israel since Iran and the United States signed a protocol agreement in mid-June. Meanwhile, the Israeli army, which occupies about 620 square kilometers in southern Lebanon, continues to carry out widespread destruction in border areas and launch daily attacks.

In August 2025, the Lebanese government committed to disarming Hezbollah, which has categorically rejected the move. The Taif Agreement of 1989, U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 of 2006, and the 2024 cease-fire agreement all stipulate Hezbollah's disarmament. Washington has made disarmament a condition for releasing reconstruction funding for areas devastated by successive wars between Hezbollah and Israel.