Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem rejects President Aoun's call for Hezbollah to surrender its arms.
"The state has a monopoly on enforcing security in Lebanon, but we use our weapons against Israel; Israel constitutes a danger even within its borders."
In a March 9, 2025, interview with Al-Manar TV (Hezbollah-Lebanon), Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem stated that Hezbollah agrees with the principle that the state must have a monopoly over security and rejects the concept of militias.
However, he clarified that this does not apply to Hezbollah, as it is a resistance movement focused on resisting the Israeli enemy and defending Lebanon from its threats.
Qassem emphasized that if the Lebanese state is strong enough to confront Israel, Hezbollah has no issue with it doing so. He argued that as long as Israel exists, it remains a danger, and Hezbollah reserves the right to fight it.
Qassem further explained that Hezbollah does not consider President Aoun's statements against militias or calls for surrendering weapons to be directed at them.
NEWSRAEL: Hezbollah is for the first time in decades under pressure from inside Lebanon, something a bully like Hezbollah is not used to.