Hezbollah warned Lebanon’s leadership on Friday that the country would face “no life” if authorities moved to confront or eliminate the Iran-backed group. The declaration came in response to government efforts to enforce a U.S.-backed plan to restrict weapons only to state forces after Israel’s military campaign severely weakened Hezbollah’s arsenal.
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In a televised speech, Hezbollah’s deputy leader Naim Qassem said, “This is our nation together. We live in dignity together, and we build its sovereignty together — or Lebanon will have no life if you stand on the other side and try to confront us and eliminate us.” His comments underscored the group’s refusal to disarm before Israel ends its strikes and withdraws from a contested southern strip of Lebanon.
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Over the past two years, Israel has inflicted major losses on Hezbollah, killing thousands of its fighters, including long-time leader Hassan Nasrallah, and destroying significant portions of its military stockpile. These setbacks have fueled debate inside Lebanon over the group’s role and its weapons.
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Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned Qassem’s remarks, describing them as “unacceptable” and warning they carried an implicit threat of civil war. He reiterated that no faction in Lebanon is authorized to carry arms outside the state’s security framework, reflecting growing political pressure to curb Hezbollah’s influence.
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The Lebanese cabinet last week tasked the army with limiting weapons exclusively to official security forces, angering Hezbollah. In response, Qassem accused the government of acting on “an American-Israeli order to eliminate the resistance, even if that leads to civil war and internal strife.”
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Despite the rhetoric, Hezbollah and its Shi’ite ally Amal announced they would postpone street protests, leaving space for dialogue. Qassem warned, however, that if confrontation is forced, Hezbollah is ready for escalation, even threatening mass demonstrations reaching the U.S. embassy in Beirut.
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Hezbollah remains a dominant force within Lebanon’s Shi’ite community and retains parliamentary seats, though it has lost its former ability to veto cabinet decisions. Across Lebanese society, however, calls for the group’s disarmament are growing louder, setting the stage for a deeper confrontation between state authority and militia power.
