14.07.2025, Beirut.
Hezbollah will not hand over its weapons and will thus guarantee Lebanon’s sovereignty, said Mahmoud Qomati, Deputy Chairman of the Political Council of the Shiite party, in an interview with Lebanese broadcaster OTV on July 12.
Responding to a proposal made last week by US envoy Tom Barak regarding a disarmament process for Hezbollah, Qomati stated, “We will not discuss any new matters until the ceasefire agreement is implemented.”
The Chairman of Hezbollah’s Political Council also emphasized that any disarmament process must prioritize the issue of Israel’s de-occupation of southern Lebanon. He noted that Hezbollah’s response was formulated in coordination with President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri, and that Hezbollah’s stance was taken into account.
The ceasefire agreement, signed on November 27, 2024, ended a thirteen-month conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. Despite this, the IDF continues to occupy five districts in southern Lebanon and carries out near-daily shelling of the region. A Hezbollah representative stressed that the party remains open to dialogue regarding the role of resistance weapons in Lebanon’s defense strategy, reiterating the party’s official position as voiced by its leaders in recent months.
“The weapons of the Resistance are part of Lebanon’s defense and are a topic of dialogue with President Aoun,” Qomati stated, adding that the US has provided no support for the mission of Lebanon’s regular army. “Can the Lebanese army defend Lebanon, and is it even allowed to possess weapons? Perhaps if we surrender our weapons, we can say goodbye to Lebanon’s sovereignty and its current model of existence,” he continued.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
