Lebanon's prime minister said on Tuesday that he would not allow the country to be drawn into a new conflict, after Hezbollah warned that any attack on Iran would be treated as an attack on the group itself.
"We will never allow anyone to drag the country into another adventure," Nawaf Salam said while speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, responding to remarks made last week by Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem.
Qassem had been reacting to US threats of military action against Iran, saying Hezbollah was "not neutral" and would decide how to respond at the appropriate time.
Salam said Hezbollah's decision to enter the Gaza war in support of Hamas had had "very big" consequences for Lebanon, adding that "no one is willing to expose the country to adventures of this kind".
More than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which largely ended with a ceasefire in November 2024, significantly weakened the group.
The Lebanese government has since begun implementing a plan to withdraw Hezbollah's weapons, starting in the south, one of its traditional strongholds.
In January, the army announced it had completed the first phase of the plan, covering areas south of the Litani River, roughly 30 kilometres from the Israeli border.
Salam said the state had "worked to regain control over decisions on war and peace," adding that the Lebanese army now had "full operational control over the south."
Israel has accused Hezbollah of attempting to rearm and criticised the army’s progress as insufficient, while Hezbollah has rejected calls to hand over its weapons.
Speaking earlier on Tuesday in Beirut, Qassem struck a defiant tone, saying Hezbollah was "ready to discuss how to confront aggression with those who believe in this approach."
He warned against internal divisions and urged Lebanese actors "not to help the enemy or repeat the failed and shameful experiences of the past."
Qassem said any national strategy should prioritise stopping Israeli attacks, securing an Israeli withdrawal, releasing Lebanese detainees, and rebuilding destroyed areas, before moving on to broader discussions over defence policy and state authority.
He described Israel's actions in southern Lebanon as an "existential aggression" aimed at terrorising civilians and forcing acceptance of occupation, and criticised international mechanisms overseeing the ceasefire for focusing pressure on Lebanon while failing to restrain Israel.
Hezbollah has escalated its rhetoric in recent weeks as the Lebanese army prepares to move into a second phase of its weapons control plan north of the Litani River, a step expected to be discussed by cabinet later this month. The group insists no further measures can be discussed before Israel withdraws from remaining positions in southern Lebanon, halts its attacks, and releases Lebanese prisoners.
Since the army announced completion of the first phase in January, Israeli strikes have intensified in the south, as well as in parts of the Beqaa in the east, with more than 120 attacks reported last month, leaving at least 16 people killed and dozens wounded, according to Lebanese sources.
Lebanon's government has repeatedly insisted that the decision to place weapons exclusively under state control is final, while also stressing that the country must not be drawn into external conflicts.
At the Dubai summit, Salam renewed calls for Arab support for the Lebanese army, saying a conference would soon be held in Paris to bolster the armed forces and strengthen state authority across the country.
"Sovereignty and reform go hand in hand," he said, describing both as essential to Lebanon's survival.