Hezbollah has reaffirmed its commitment to retain its weapons as a necessary deterrent against Israeli aggression, despite mounting U.S. pressure on Lebanon to disarm all non-state actors. The group’s leader, Naim Qassem, condemned the Lebanese government’s disarmament initiative as an "American-Israeli plot" that threatens Lebanon’s sovereignty and risks triggering civil war. His statements follow the symbolic handover of weapons by Fatah factions in Beirut’s Burj al-Barajneh refugee camp, a move praised by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack but dismissed by Hezbollah as irrelevant to its resistance role.
The weapons transfer from Burj al-Barajneh camp, overseen by the Lebanese army, involved only "illegal arms" held by unauthorized individuals, excluding weapons belonging to formal Palestinian security personnel or major factions like Hamas. Fatah officials emphasized the handover was a "symbolic" step to encourage broader compliance, though Hamas and Islamic Jihad rejected the process, stating their weapons "remain linked to the right of return and the Palestinian cause". Lebanon’s government acknowledged that the disarmament, agreed upon with Mahmoud Abbas in May, faced delays due to regional conflicts and internal Palestinian divisions.
Hezbollah insists its arsenal is essential to counter Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon and ongoing airstrikes, which have persisted despite a November 2024 ceasefire. The group argues that the Taif Agreement, which ended Lebanon’s civil war never mandated disarming "resistance" forces, and it condemns U.S. demands as violations of national sovereignty. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council chief, Ali Larijani, recently reinforced Tehran’s support, warning that disarming Hezbollah would undermine regional deterrence against Israel.
The Lebanese cabinet’s August 2025 directive for the army to draft a Hezbollah disarmament plan by year’s end aligns with U.S. conditions for unlocking reconstruction aid. However, Hezbollah-aligned ministers walked out in protest, and President Joseph Aoun rejected Iran’s "unconstructive interference" while emphasizing state authority. Critics note that U.S. envoy Barrack’s praise for Palestinian disarmament ignores Hezbollah’s broader strategic role and the ongoing Israeli threats that necessitate its military capacity.
Hezbollah’s warnings of "no life left in Lebanon" if disarmed reflect deep-seated fears of Israeli domination and internal sectarian fracture. The group’s grassroots support remains strong among Shiite communities, who view its weapons as protection against Israeli incursions and political marginalization. As long as Israel occupies strategic hills in southern Lebanon and conducts periodic strikes, Hezbollah argues that surrendering its arsenal would amount to national surrender. The path forward requires balancing legitimate resistance needs with state sovereignty, lest external pressures ignite renewed conflict.