Lebanon's Patriarch in Hezbollah rebuke as MPs move to sue leader Naim Qassem

Lebanon's Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai intensified his criticism of Hezbollah on Tuesday, declaring that the group has no right to retain its arsenal now that the state has affirmed its monopoly on weapons.

His remarks came as a bloc of lawmakers and political figures announced plans to file a lawsuit against Hezbollah's Secretary-General Naim Qassem, accusing him of inciting sectarian strife and threatening civil war.

"This is the first time there is consensus among the president, the parliament speaker, and the prime minister to monopolise weapons under state control. This brings peace to Lebanon. No one can live without peace," al-Rai told Saudi-owned Al Arabiya in an interview.

The patriarch argued that Hezbollah's credibility as an "armed resistance" had collapsed once the government asserted exclusive authority over war and peace.

"We cannot accept one person, the secretary-general [of Hezbollah], to decide war and peace. The constitution says this is a government decision," he said.

Al-Rai accused Iran of undermining Lebanon's sovereignty by arming Hezbollah, saying Tehran "crosses red lines because it stands with one side in Lebanon, the Shia sect and Hezbollah. It cannot give weapons to one side. This is blatant aggression and intervening in domestic affairs".

Despite the sharp rhetoric, al-Rai said dialogue with Hezbollah continues.

"We still have ongoing dialogue with Hezbollah, and we are honest with them. Bkerki will not sugarcoat, it will speak for the interests of Lebanon," he stressed.

Months of cross-border fighting between Hezbollah and Israel devastated southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and parts of southern Beirut, displacing tens of thousands since October 2023.

The conflict ended with a ceasefire in November 2024, but Israel has violated it with near-daily attacks, to which Hezbollah has so far refrained from responding.

Despite ruling out normalisation with Israel for now, al-Rai said peace could be possible in the future. "In the future, when there is no danger to Lebanon, why wouldn’t there be a deal?"

In a direct response, Lebanon's Grand Jaafari (Shia) Mufti, Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan, insisted that Hezbollah's weapons could not be touched.

"No force can strip them away, and without them we would sacrifice our lives, our existence, and all our resources to defend Lebanon," he said, accusing opponents of serving Israel's interests.

Meanwhile, members of the 'Sovereign Front', a coalition of anti-Hezbollah MPs and politicians, said they would submit a legal complaint against Qassem.

In a joint statement, they accused him of "sectarian incitement" and "threatening civil war" at a moment when the government was seeking to dismantle illegal weapons networks.

Qassem, in a recent speech, lashed out at the authorities, accusing them of "carrying out the American-Israeli agenda to dismantle the resistance, even at the cost of civil war and internal strife".

He vowed Hezbollah would never surrender its weapons "as long as occupation and aggression persist", insisting the government would bear responsibility for any conflict.

Hezbollah, the only faction that kept its weapons after Lebanon's 1975–1990 civil war, emerged badly weakened from its war with Israel. On Friday, Qassem doubled down, saying that "the resistance will not surrender its weapons while... occupation persists".

On Sunday, President Joseph Aoun told Al Arabiya channel that authorities would do "everything possible... to spare Lebanon any internal or external shock".

He warned that if Lebanon rejected a US plan to dismantle Hezbollah's arsenal, "then Israel will intensify its attacks, Lebanon will be economically isolated, and none of us will be able to respond to the aggression".