Hezbollah warns of civil war over Lebanese disarmament plan

Hezbollah has warned that Lebanon could face civil war if the government moves ahead with a plan to confront or dismantle the Iran-backed group.

The Lebanese government is seeking to place all weapons under state control in a U.S.-backed move after Israel’s recent campaign against Hezbollah, founded in the 1980s with backing from Tehran’s Revolutionary Guards, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

The group has rejected demands to disarm, insisting it will only do so once Israel halts its strikes and withdraws from a strip of southern Lebanon that was once a Hezbollah 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,” Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem said in a televised address on Friday.

Over the past two years, Israel has inflicted heavy losses on Hezbollah, killing senior commanders including former leader Hassan Nasrallah, eliminating 5,000 fighters, and destroying much of its arsenal.

Tensions escalated last week after the Lebanese cabinet instructed the army to restrict arms exclusively to state security forces — a decision that angered Hezbollah. Qassem accused the government of following “an American-Israeli order to eliminate the resistance, even if that leads to civil war and internal strife.”

While warning of possible escalation, Qassem said Hezbollah and its Shi’ite ally, the Amal Movement, had decided to postpone street protests to leave room for political dialogue.

“There is still room for discussion, for adjustments, and for a political resolution before the situation escalates to a confrontation no one wants,” he said. “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 latest tensions stem from the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel that erupted in October 2023, when the group attacked Israeli positions along the southern border in support of its ally Hamas at the onset of the Gaza war. The fighting left swathes of Lebanon in ruins.

Despite losing its ability to veto cabinet decisions — a power it once wielded through a “blocking third” of ministers — Hezbollah, along with Amal, continues to hold Shi’ite seats in parliament and appoint ministers. While the group remains influential within Lebanon’s Shi’ite community, demands for its disarmament have been growing among other segments of the population.

By Aghakazim Guliyev