BEIRUT – Hezbollah on Wednesday forcefully rejected a Lebanese government proposal to restrict weapons solely to state security forces, vowing to treat the decision “as if it did not exist” and accusing the cabinet of committing a “grave sin” that would leave the country vulnerable to Israeli aggression.
The strong reaction came a day after Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced that the government had instructed the Lebanese army to formulate a plan to centralize all weapons under state control by the end of the year. The proposal is set to be reviewed by the cabinet in late August, with another meeting scheduled for Thursday to continue discussions — including on a US-backed timeline for disarmament.
Hezbollah condemned the plan, arguing it undermines Lebanon’s sovereignty and strips the nation of its only real deterrent against Israel.
“The government has committed a grave sin by choosing to disarm Lebanon of its resistance weapons against the Israeli enemy,” the group said in a statement. “This decision will be treated as if it does not exist.”
The Iran-backed group further claimed the move was the result of pressure from U.S. envoy Tom Barrack and serves Israel’s strategic objectives.
“This fully serves Israel’s interests and exposes Lebanon to the enemy without any form of deterrence,” the statement added.
The disarmament plan marks the first serious government-level effort to tackle the issue since the end of Lebanon’s civil war in 1990, when most militias were dissolved — with Hezbollah being the notable exception.
Hezbollah, which emerged from its latest war with Israel politically and militarily weakened, has seen its weapons depots targeted and senior figures killed in ongoing Israeli strikes despite a ceasefire agreed in November.
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An Israeli airstrike on the southern town of Tulin on Wednesday killed one person and injured another, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Hezbollah has demanded a halt to all Israeli aggression before any discussions on national defense or its arsenal can take place.
“We are open to dialogue, to ending Israeli aggression, to liberating our land, to rebuilding what was destroyed — but not while under attack,” the group said.
It added that it is “prepared to engage in a conversation about a national security strategy,” but only in a context free from Israeli military pressure.
Two cabinet ministers affiliated with Hezbollah and its political ally, the Amal Movement, walked out of Tuesday’s session in protest of the disarmament proposal, highlighting internal divisions over Lebanon’s defense posture.
Hezbollah described the moment as a pivotal test for Lebanon’s sovereignty, accusing the government of caving in to foreign demands at a time when the country remains vulnerable.