Hezbollah: Resistance weapons are part of Lebanon’s strength
Shafaq News – Beirut
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Tuesday denounced what he called US interference in Lebanon and the region as “very harmful,” urging Washington and its special envoy Tom Barrack to stop pressuring Beirut and promoting what he described as a vision of “Greater Israel.”
Speaking at the launch of the book Singing and Music: Research by Imam Khamenei, Qassem framed the conflict with Israel as both a national burden and a test of resilience, accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of boasting about civilian deaths while failing to deliver security.
He blamed the US for fueling regional instability and prolonging what he called “wars of annihilation,” comparing Netanyahu’s expansionist ambitions to President Trump’s push for a “Greater America.”
His remarks come amid rising US pressure on Lebanon to adopt a cabinet resolution limiting Hezbollah’s military capacity in exchange for halting Israeli airstrikes—an offer the group has flatly rejected.
Qassem insisted Hezbollah’s arsenal remains a cornerstone of national defense and accused the US of acting as a proxy for Israeli interests by demanding Lebanon dismantle its deterrent capabilities.
Internal tensions have also escalated, with Hezbollah-aligned ministers walking out of a recent cabinet session after disarmament appeared on the agenda. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who also heads the Hezbollah-allied Amal Movement, later warned that accepting US-backed proposals under pressure could destabilize the fragile ceasefire with Israel.
“Anyone who believes that disarming Hezbollah will solve the problem is mistaken; the resistance’s weapons are part of Lebanon’s strength, and they do not want Lebanon to be strong,” Qassem declared, vowing not to yield to either the US or Israel so long as the Lebanese people remain resolute.
He called on the Lebanese government to safeguard sovereignty and lead reconstruction without external interference, questioning whether Lebanon has become “a prison under American supervision” and describing recent US proposals as “pressure tactics disguised as diplomacy.”
