Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker warns US disarmament plan threatens ceasefire

Shafaq News – Beirut

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, leader of the Hezbollah-allied Amal Movement, warned on Sunday that a US-backed proposal on Hezbollah’s disarmament risks undermining the ceasefire in place since November 27, 2024.

Speaking at a rally marking the 47th anniversary of Imam Musa al-Sadr’s disappearance—the Iranian-born Shiite cleric and founder of the Amal Movement who vanished in Libya in 1978—Berri said foreign pressure to dismantle Hezbollah’s military wing was unacceptable, stressing that any debate on Lebanon’s defense strategy must be anchored in the constitution, the presidential oath, and the 1989 Taif Agreement that ended the civil war.

Berri argued that “inflammatory rhetoric” fueled by the media and “devilish minds” was more destabilizing than Hezbollah’s weapons, which he credited with liberating occupied territory, accusing Israel of repeated violations despite Lebanon’s commitment to the truce.

According to the UN’s UNIFIL, more than 4,800 Israeli breaches have been recorded since the ceasefire began, causing over 235 deaths and 480 injuries.

Defending Hezbollah and Amal ministers who oppose disarmament during the cabinet’s endorsement of a US-backed disarmament plan, Berri said their stance is “national, not sectarian.” He also rejected the idea of placing the entire responsibility for defense on the Lebanese Army, describing it as the country’s shield but “not its only protector.”

Turning to regional issues, Berri warned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s references to “Greater Israel” encompass parts of Lebanese territory and prevent residents from returning to more than 30 villages in the south.