Hezbollah leader refuses to disarm until Israel withdraws from southern Lebanon

Hezbollah person Naim Kassem reiterated Sunday (July 6, 2025) the militant group's refusal to laic down its weapons earlier Israel withdraws from each of confederate Lebanon and stops its airstrikes.

He spoke successful a video address, arsenic thousands gathered successful Beirut's confederate suburbs to people the Shia beatified time of Ashoura. Ashoura commemorates the 680 AD Battle of Karbala, successful which the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Imam Hussein, was killed aft helium refused to pledge allegiance to the Umayyad caliphate. For Shias, the commemoration has travel to symbolise absorption against tyranny and injustice.

This year's commemoration comes successful the aftermath of a bruising warfare betwixt Israel and Hezbollah, which nominally ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire successful precocious November. Israeli strikes killed overmuch of Hezbollah's apical leadership, including longtime Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, and destroyed overmuch of its arsenal.

Since the ceasefire, Israel has continued to inhabit 5 strategical borderline points successful confederate Lebanon and to transportation retired near-daily airstrikes that it says purpose to forestall Hezbollah from rebuilding its capabilities. Those strikes person killed immoderate 250 radical since November, successful summation to much than 4,000 killed during the war, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. There has been expanding planetary and home unit for Hezbollah to springiness up its remaining arsenal.

“How tin you expect america not to basal steadfast portion the Israeli force continues its aggression, continues to inhabit the 5 points, and continues to participate our territories and kill?” Mr. Kassem said successful his video address.

“We volition not beryllium portion of legitimising the concern successful Lebanon and the region. We volition not judge normalisation (with Israel).”

In effect to those who inquire wherefore the radical needs its rocket arsenal, Mr. Kassem said: “How tin we face Israel erstwhile it attacks america if we didn't person them? Who is preventing Israel from entering villages and landing and sidesplitting young people, women and children wrong their homes unless determination is simply a absorption with definite capabilities susceptible of minimal defence?”

His comments travel up of an expected sojourn by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack to Beirut to sermon a projected program for Hezbollah's disarmament and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the remainder of confederate Lebanon.

Mr. Barrack posted Saturday (July 5, 2025) connected X that Lebanon is facing “a historical infinitesimal to supersede the strained confessionalism of the past and yet fulfil (its) existent committedness of the anticipation of One country, 1 people, 1 army'” and quoted U.S. President Donald Trump saying, “Let's marque Lebanon Great again.”