Hizbullah raised the spectre of civil war on Friday with a warning there would be “no life” in Lebanon if the government sought to confront or eliminate the Iran-backed group.
The government wants to control arms in line with a US-backed plan following Israel’s military campaign against Hizbullah, which was founded 40 years ago with the backing of Tehran’s Revolutionary Guards.
But the group is resisting pressure to disarm, saying that cannot happen until Israel ends its strikes and occupation of a southern strip of Lebanon that had been a Hizbullah stronghold.
“This is our nation together. We live in dignity together, and we build its sovereignty together – or Lebanon will have no life if you stand on the other side and try to confront us and eliminate us,” said its leader, Naim Qassem, in a televised speech.
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Israel has dealt Hizbullah heavy blows in the last two years, killing many of its senior members, including former leader Hassan Nasrallah and 5,000 of its fighters, and destroying much of its arsenal.
Lebanon prime minister Nawaf Salam said that Mr Qassem’s statements carried an implicit threat of civil war, calling them “unacceptable”.
“No party in Lebanon is authorised to bear arms outside the framework of the Lebanese state,” said Mr Salam in a post on X carrying his statements from an interview with the pan-Arab Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.
The Lebanese cabinet last week tasked the army with confining weapons only to state security forces, a move that has outraged Hizbullah.
Mr Qassem accused the government of implementing an “American-Israeli order to eliminate the resistance, even if that leads to civil war and internal strife”.
However, he said Hizbullah and the Amal movement, its Shia Muslim ally, had decided to delay any street protests while there was still scope for talks.
“There is still room for discussion, for adjustments, and for a political resolution before the situation escalates to a confrontation no one wants,” he added.
“But if it is imposed on us, we are ready, and we have no other choice ... At that point, there will be a protest in the street, all across Lebanon, that will reach the American embassy.”
The conflict between Hizbullah and Israel, which left parts of Lebanon in ruins, erupted in October 2023 when the group opened fire on Israeli positions along the southern border in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas at the start of the Gaza hostilities.
Hizbullah and Amal still retain influence politically, appointing Shia ministers to cabinet and holding the Shia seats in parliament. But for the first time in years, they do not hold a “blocking third” of cabinet, enabling them to veto government decisions in the past.
The Islamist group retains strong support among the Shia community in Lebanon, but calls for its disarmament across the rest of society have grown. – Reuters
