Terror militia blames Israel and America while violating disarmament, undermining Lebanon’s state authority.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem accused Israel and the United States of waging a coordinated campaign against Lebanon, in a speech aired on Al-Manar TV. Casting the Israeli-American alliance as Lebanon’s central threat, Qassem rejected diplomacy and called instead for “strength, resistance, and unity”—code for continued militia rule over state law.
Qassem alleged Israel targets civilians, infrastructure, agriculture, and reconstruction to sow fear and division. He further claimed that after battlefield “failure,” Washington pivoted to political and economic pressure to disarm Hezbollah. The reality is more straightforward: under a U.S.-backed ceasefire, the Hezbollah was obligated to disarm—beginning south of the Litani—yet it has openly refused, stockpiling weapons in defiance of Lebanese sovereignty.
Lebanon’s own authorities tasked the Lebanese Armed Forces to ensure a state monopoly on arms by year’s end. Hezbollah condemned that plan and vowed to keep its arsenal, exposing who truly blocks stability and reconstruction. As violations mount, Israel has struck Hezbollah targets to enforce deterrence and protect its civilians—actions consistent with international self-defense, not escalation.
