Hezbollah warns Lebanon: disarmament push could spark civil war
“There will be no dialogue regarding areas north of the Litani until Israel fully withdraws from Lebanese territory, releases the prisoners, and ends its violations"
A senior Hezbollah official has warned Lebanon’s government against any attempt to disarm the group across the country, saying such a move could plunge Lebanon into instability and potentially trigger civil war.
Speaking to Russia’s RT network, Mahmoud Kamati, a member of Hezbollah’s political bureau, said efforts by the state to impose a monopoly on weapons beyond southern Lebanon would amount to “the worst crime the state could commit.”
He cautioned that current government policies risk leading Lebanon toward “chaos, instability, and possibly civil war,” while stressing that Hezbollah does not seek confrontation with the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Lebanon has pledged to bring all weapons under state control as part of a 2024 agreement that ended hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. However, the Iran-backed group maintains that the agreement applies only to southern Lebanon near the Israeli border and has rejected calls to surrender its weapons elsewhere in the country.
Last week, the Lebanese army announced it had assumed operational control of the area between the Litani River and the Israeli border, noting that further work remains to dismantle tunnels and destroy weapons stockpiles. In early February, the government also requested the army submit a report outlining a broader disarmament strategy for other parts of Lebanon.
Hezbollah has meanwhile conditioned any discussion on disarmament on Israeli actions. Kamati said talks would be off the table until Israel withdraws from five fortified positions in southern Lebanon, halts near-daily airstrikes, and releases Lebanese detainees. “There will be no dialogue regarding areas north of the Litani until Israel fully withdraws from Lebanese territory, releases the prisoners, and ends its violations,” he said.
Israel has accused Hezbollah of failing to fully comply with disarmament commitments and of attempting to rebuild its military capabilities, adding pressure on Lebanon’s leadership amid concerns of renewed escalation along the border.