Illustrative image.
Hezbollah on August 6 slammed a plan presented by the Lebanese government meant to disarm it by the end of the year, calling it a “major mistake” that harms the country’s sovereignty.
Responding to the government’s plan, which was announced a day earlier, the group said in a statement that the move was a result of United States “diktats” and that it will treat the decision “as if it does not exist.”
“This decision fully serves Israel’s interest,” the group said.
The statement noted that all Shiite ministers walked out of the cabinet session before the decision was reached as “an expression of the resistance’s (Hezbollah’s) rejection of this decision.”
Despite slamming the disarmament plan, Hezbollah emphasized that it remains open to a national strategic security dialogue, to ending what it called “Israeli aggression against Lebanon,” and to working on rebuilding and restoring what the “enemy has destroyed.”
At the end of the session discussing the disarmament plan, a part of a proposal submitted by the U.S. in June, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced that a decision was postponed until a cabinet discussion on August 7.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on the same day also rejected calls to disarm and threatened a new war with Israel.
Qassem said that, should Israel engage in a “large-scale aggression” against Lebanon, Hezbollah, Lebanon’s army and Lebanon’s people would defend themselves.
“This defence will lead to missiles falling inside the Israeli entity, and all the security they have built over eight months will collapse within an hour,” he said.
The proposal made by U.S. envoy Thomas Barrack included a roadmap to fully disarm Hezbollah, in exchange for Israel halting its strikes on Lebanon and withdrawing its troops from five strategic points they still occupy in the south of the country.
The U.S. brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon last November, but the Israeli military refused to halt strikes on Hezbollah or to abandon the five posts.
Washington now wants the Lebanese government to make a pledge to disarm Hezbollah before talks could move forwards. However, Lebanese officials are reportedly worried that with Hezbollah not on board such a step could spark an internal conflict.
All in all, the U.S. impatience towards Lebanon is likely a sign of Israeli plans to resume the war on Hezbollah sometime in the near future.
Both sides have played very much the same game in the Gaza Strip for the last few months, with the U.S. making unrealistic strict demands to Hamas and Israel escalating its war on the Palestinian enclave after claiming that the group was not cooperating.
Hezbollah has so far shown great restraint, refraining from responding to Israel’s repeated strikes and incursions in order not to weaken the stance of the Lebanese government in the face of the U.S. However, it appears that both the U.S. and Israel have very much made their minds on neutralizing the group before the end of the year. With a confrontation appearing more likely, Hezbollah could decide to take the initiative.
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israels illegal occupation of lebanese territories behind the false claims of security zones meets resistance . will you give your home and neighbor hood to israel ?
the shia should have never let themselves pulled into this war by the sunni hamas. the sunni countries will gladly help isreal destroy them. and then they will have free hand to murder the other minoritys which is their main goal just like they do in syria.
hezbollah’s downfall is happening unusually quickly. how is it possible that israel hasn’t been able to defeat hezbollah for all these decades, and now it’s supposedly succeeding in a year?
what initiative, apart from formal surrender? hezbollah is suffering the consequences of half-heartedness, iran of cowardice and incompetence. its supply lines are cut, its missile stocks were clearly grossly overstated, while the only evidence of will are in its press releases. hamas is still fighting, with the suffering of the palestinian people highlighting the true evil of the zionist regime – a democracy! (at least for jews!).
some lebanese politicians are scum and always have been, they collaborated with israel when they were in southern lebanon for years, if not for hezbollah the israelis would have taken all of lebanon years ago.
the amerikunt goy whores just want to leave lebanon defenceless so that their joo masters can steal the whole of the country. hezbollah has defended lebanon for 40 years. the lebanese army is a complete joke. the lebanese air force has not had any planes since 1976.
“axis of resistance” is a dead goatfucker walking…heheheh
if the lebanese gov. wants hezbollahs weapons so much…come and take them.😬