Hezbollah Leader Refuses to Disarm, Defies US-Israel Demands

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem has explicitly rejected international demands to lay down arms, calling US-Israeli pressure a “pretext for aggression” and insisting the group’s weapons are “the secret to its strength” that will not be surrendered. The declaration, made in a televised speech on November 12, 2025, signals the Iran-backed militia will defy Lebanon’s government disarmament plan despite escalating Israeli strikes and American diplomatic pressure.
“We will not give up our weapons, which give us strength and determination,” Qassem stated, addressing supporters in Beirut. He dismissed the disarmament process as serving Israeli interests rather than Lebanese sovereignty, warning that relinquishing arms would leave Lebanon defenseless against “ongoing Israeli-American aggression.” The speech came as US envoy Morgan Ortagus arrived in Lebanon to press the government on implementing a year-end deadline to demilitarize Hezbollah.
Qassem’s defiance follows months of Israeli air strikes killing over 100 people in recent weeks and injuring four soldiers in a landmine incident on the Thai-Cambodia border. He claimed Washington’s disarmament demands are “blackmail,” linking reconstruction funds to Hezbollah’s capitulation. “The resistance’s weapons are a legitimate means of defending the homeland and our existence. There is no separation between our survival and that of the nation,” he declared.
The Hezbollah leader threatened that if Israel escalates attacks, “All the security they have built over eight months will collapse within an hour,” warning missiles would rain down on Israeli territory. He emphasized the group remains prepared to defend itself “until its last breath” and will “remain a resistance group even if we have nothing left but our nails or a stick.”
US special envoy Tom Barrack warned last week that Hezbollah faces “grave consequences” if it refuses disarmament, potentially giving Israel a “green light” for broader military operations. Lebanon’s government, under US pressure, voted in August to disarm Hezbollah by year-end, but Qassem’s latest statements make clear the group will not comply voluntarily.
The standoff creates a dangerous impasse. Lebanon’s army lacks the capacity to forcibly disarm Hezbollah without triggering civil war, while Israel threatens intensified strikes if the militia retains its weapons. Qassem’s refusal effectively dares the international community to either accept Hezbollah’s armed presence or risk renewed conflict that could devastate Lebanon.