Sheikh Qassem: Disarming Hezbollah Means Handing Lebanon to “Israel”

By Al-Ahed News, Live Coverage

Hezbollah Secretary General His Eminence Sheikh Naim Qassem delivered a wide-ranging speech during the commemorative festival marking the first anniversary of the martyrdom of senior jihadi commander Sayyed Fouad Shokor [Sayyed Mohsen].

In his televised speech, Sheikh Qassem paid tribute to Sayyed Mohsen’s unparalleled legacy and used the occasion to reaffirm Hezbollah’s enduring commitment to national defense, resistance against “Israel” and state-building in Lebanon.

Reflecting on Sayyed Mohsen’s early journey, the Resistance Leader recalled that “Sayyed Fouad Shokor led a group of ten brothers who, before 1982, called themselves the Mithaq [Covenant] Group and pledged to confront ‘Israel’ and always be on the front lines.” After the martyrdom of nine of the group’s members, Sayyed Fouad waited 35 years for martyrdom with unwavering dedication.

His Eminence praised Sayyed Mohsen as one of the founding members of Hezbollah’s first generation and its first military commander.

“He led the confrontations in Kafra and Yater after the assassination of Sayyed Abbas al-Mousawi, and later commanded a group of fighters in Bosnia,” Sheikh Qassem noted.

He also described Sayyed Mohsen’s spiritual and ideological connection to Imam Khomeini and Imam Khamenei, calling him “deeply strategic, religiously aware, and a central figure in both Hezbollah’s naval development and the July 2006 victory”.

Transitioning to current political and military realities, the Hezbollah Secretary General addressed rising calls for Hezbollah’s disarmament.

“The state cannot tell its citizens to disarm so that ‘Israel’ can kill them,” he said. “Every call to disarm us means weakening Lebanon’s strength. We will never accept handing over weapons to ‘Israel,’ and those who advocate this are aligning themselves with the enemy”.

Reinforcing the Resistance’s role as a defensive force, His Eminence declared, “We are in a state of defense of our land. Even if many of us are martyred, what matters is that deviation and occupation do not remain.”

He added, “Let the aggression stop, let ‘Israel’ withdraw, and let the prisoners be returned. After that, you will have from us the best and most sincere dialogue and cooperation”.

Sheikh Qassem rejected any suggestion that reconstruction should come at the expense of Lebanon’s defense. “Weapons are not more important than reconstruction and ending the aggression, but disarmament under fire is a surrender,” he said.

He urged the state to invest in rebuilding, stating, “Reconstruction is a profitable process that revives the economic cycle. The state must act, even from its own budget”.

Addressing the ceasefire agreement and the role of foreign mediators, Sheikh Qassem pointed out that the previous American envoy, Amos Hochstein, provided guarantees by coordinating with the enemy entity.

However, “the new envoy has denied that guarantee, saying there is no assurance.” He warned that “linking ceasefire to disarmament is an internal Lebanese matter,” and emphasized that Hezbollah had honored its commitments regarding the southern Litani.

Responding to those who claim Hezbollah has grown weak, Sheikh Qassem said, “They were surprised by the strength of our political and popular presence — whether during the funerals of Sayyed Nasrallah and Sayyed Safieddine or in the municipal elections”.

The SG asserted that the Resistance remains a vital component of Lebanon’s defense triangle: “The Resistance fills the gaps of the army and supports it. We form a powerful trio of army, people, and Resistance — this is not symbolic, but effective”.

Touching on foreign interference and external pressures, Sheikh Qassem declared, “Lebanon faces an existential threat from ‘Israel’, Daesh [Arabic acronym for 'ISIS' / 'ISIL'] and America under the guise of the ‘New Middle East’”.

The Resistance Chief accused the United States of enabling Zionist crimes in Syria and Suweyda, and warned that “the enemy is waiting for us to disarm so it can expand its settlements and erase what’s left of Lebanon’s sovereignty”.

On Gaza, Sheikh Qassem condemned the ongoing genocide, saying, “The Zionist enemy is starving children, bombing the tents of the displaced, and denying milk to infants — all with American support. What is happening in Gaza is organized, brutal criminality unlike anything the world has seen — carried out live, in front of everyone’s eyes”.

Closing his address, the Resistance Leader reiterated Hezbollah’s dual commitment: “We are moving forward on two paths: liberating the land from the enemy, and building the state through representing the people”.

He saluted the imprisoned Lebanese struggler Georges Abdallah and welcomed all countries that support Lebanon’s sovereignty, while rejecting those who serve “Israel”.

“Do not ask us for peace or recognition of ‘Israel.’ Lebanon will never be annexed as long as we breathe,” His Eminence concluded.

Through his remarks, Sheikh Qassem sent an unmistakable message: Hezbollah’s arms are not up for negotiation under threat. They are a national necessity — the final line of defense against an occupying enemy that still seeks to strip Lebanon of its freedom, dignity and independence.