Hezbollah, Kataib Hezbollah Reject Disarmament Amid Regional Tensions

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has firmly rejected calls to disarm despite ongoing Israeli threats and international pressure, asserting that the group will not surrender its weapons until Israeli aggression ceases. Speaking during the Shiite commemoration of Ashura, Qassem emphasized that Hezbollah views its arms as essential resistance tools and dismissed demands for disarmament as unacceptable. This stance aligns with similar positions from other Iran-backed groups in the region, such as Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah, whose commanders declared their weapons sacred trusts to be surrendered only before Imam Mahdi, rejecting disarmament as an insult and a betrayal of their mission to defend against foreign occupation and extremist threats. The Lebanese government, meanwhile, has been under pressure to respond to US envoy Tom Barrack’s call for Hezbollah's disarmament by year-end, while Israel continues strikes near the border, accusing Lebanon of insufficient action. Hezbollah insists that Israel must first withdraw and halt its aggression before any disarmament can even be considered, maintaining that resistance is a legitimate defense of Lebanese sovereignty and security. This defiance underscores the persistent volatility along the Israel-Lebanon border and the broader regional struggle over armed militias affiliated with Iran.