In a defiant address on Tuesday, Hezbollah's leader Naim Qassem warned that the group would resume firing missiles into Israel if Tel Aviv escalates its military operations in Lebanon, stressing that the group would not be disarmed under pressure.
Speaking in a televised address, Qassem warned that no timeline for disarmament proposed under Israeli pressure would be accepted and insisted that Lebanon must not be stripped of its power while Israel retains all its military might.
"We do not accept any new agreement beyond the current one between the Lebanese state and the Israeli entity," Qassem said. "We will not agree to a schedule for giving up our weapons under the shadow of Israeli aggression."
Hezbollah, alongside its ally the Amal Movement, the Lebanese army, and the Lebanese people, will remain on the ground and "emerge victorious", Qassem added.
His remarks came as Lebanon's cabinet met in Beirut to discuss the contentious issue of placing all weapons under state control.
The meeting follows growing US pressure on Lebanon to present a timetable for Hezbollah’s disarmament following the group’s 14-month war with Israel, which ended in November 2024 under a US-brokered ceasefire.
Since then, Hezbollah officials have refused to engage in talks over disarmament unless Israel ends near-daily airstrikes, withdraws from five disputed hills inside Lebanon, and releases Lebanese detainees.
Qassem insisted on Tuesday the group would not agree to surrender its weapons while Israel retains full military superiority.
"We do not accept any new agreement beyond the current one between the Lebanese state and the Israeli entity," Qassem said. "We will not agree to a schedule for giving up our weapons under the shadow of Israeli aggression."
Hezbollah, along with the allied Amal Movement, the Lebanese army, and the people, would remain on the ground and resist any attempt to weaken Lebanon’s defensive capabilities, he added.
The comments came as tension grows over how to interpret the ceasefire agreement. While Hezbollah says it only covers the area south of the Litani River, Israel and Washington argue it applies to Hezbollah's entire military infrastructure across the country.
Qassem accused Israel of breaching the deal and attempting to rewrite it after regretting the concessions it made. The Israeli army itself recently admitted to violating the deal over 500 times.
He also lashed out at US envoy Thomas Barrack, who he said arrived in Beirut with "dictates aimed at stripping Lebanon and Hezbollah of all power", rather than with proposals for peace.
According to Qassem, the US deal delivered to Lebanese authorities calls for the dismantling of drones, mortars, rocket launchers, explosives and other weapons within 30 days, along with 50 percent of Hezbollah’s military infrastructure. Only then would Israel begin partial withdrawals from contested areas.
"This is about disarming the resistance and limiting the Lebanese army’s weapons to a domestic role that poses no threat to Israel," Qassem said.
He also criticised the terms of the deal's enforcement, pointing out that Israel’s violations would only face UN condemnation, while Lebanon would be threatened with suspended military aid and economic sanctions.
Qassem reiterated that Hezbollah's right to resist was enshrined in the Taif Accord and is thus constitutional. Any decision to alter the group’s military role, he argued, would require national consensus, not a cabinet vote.
"There will be no solution without consensus," he said. "Handing over our weapons will not stop the aggression. Israeli officials are saying so themselves."
His speech coincided with a Hezbollah memorial event in Beirut’s southern suburbs for Mohammad Saeed Yazdi, a senior Quds Force commander responsible for the Palestinian file, who was recently killed in an Israeli strike.
Qassem said Lebanon must be built on national unity, prioritising internal needs over foreign dictates, and resisting foreign tutelage, particularly from the United States.
"We want cooperation with the president, prime minister, and speaker," he said. "But no one should pressure us by claiming they are under pressure themselves."
He called on the cabinet to focus on a national defence strategy, not on timelines for disarmament. "The state’s role should be to protect its people, not strip them of their power to appease Israel, America, or some Arab state," he said, in a reference to Saudi Arabia, which has tied financial support for Lebanon to Hezbollah's disarmament.
Qassem also warned against domestic divisions and accused unnamed groups of serving Israeli interests. "The resistance is strong and dignified. Lebanon must remain free, independent, and sovereign," he said. "This battle is for all of Lebanon. Either we all win, or we all lose."
He concluded by calling for the Beirut port explosion investigation to move forward swiftly and without political interference.