Hezbollah leader calls on government to work harder to end Israel's attacks on Lebanon

BASSEM MROUE
Mon, April 28, 2025


Civil defence workers and Lebanese soldiers gather at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

BEIRUT (AP) — The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group called on the government Monday to work harder to end Israel’s attacks in the country a day after an Israeli airstrike hit a suburb of Beirut.

Naim Kassem said in a televised speech that Hezbollah implemented the ceasefire deal that ended the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war in late November. But despite that, Israel is continuing with near-daily airstrikes.

Kassem’s comments came as the Israeli military said it carried out more than 50 strikes in Lebanon this month saying they came after Hezbollah violated the U.S.-brokered ceasefire.

On Sunday, Israeli warplanes struck Beirut’s southern suburbs after issuing a warning about an hour earlier, marking the third Israeli strike on the area since a ceasefire took effect in late November. The Israeli military said it struck a precision-guided missiles facility.

“The resistance complied 100% with the (ceasefire) deal and I tell state officials that it's your duty to guarantee protection,” Kassem said, adding that Lebanese officials should contact sponsors of the ceasefire so that they pressure Israel to cease its attacks.

“Put pressure on America and make it understand that Lebanon cannot rise if the aggression doesn’t stop,” Kassem said, pointing to Lebanese officials. He added that the U.S. has interests in Lebanon and “stability achieves these interests.”

Kassem said the priority should be for an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, an end to Israeli strikes in the country and the release of Lebanese held in Israel since the war that ended on Nov. 27.

Hezbollah began launching rockets, drones and missiles into Israel the day after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel by its Hamas allies ignited the Israel-Hamas war. Palestinian militants killed about 1,200 people in Israel and abducted 251 others during the 2023 attack.

The Israel-Hezbollah conflict exploded into all-out war last September when Israel carried out waves of airstrikes and killed most of the militant group’s senior leaders. The fighting killed over 4,000 people.

The Lebanese government said earlier this month that 190 people have been killed and 485 injured in Lebanon by Israeli strikes since the ceasefire took effect.


Israel launches air strike on Beirut suburbs

Arion McNicoll, 

The Week UK
Mon, April 28, 2025

Lebanese emergency teams cordon off the perimeter of a fire at the site of Israeli strikes in Beirut. | Credit: AFP / Getty Images

What happened

The Israeli military launched strikes on a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut Sunday, targeting what it said was a store of "precision-guided missiles". The attack, which was preceded by an evacuation warning, was Israel's third on the Lebanese capital since a ceasefire took effect in late November.
Who said what

"Israel will not allow Hezbollah to grow stronger and pose any threat to it — anywhere in Lebanon," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Israel was undermining his country's stability and escalating tensions, posing "real dangers to the security" of the region.

The attack "raised concerns that the ceasefire that ended a war between Israel and Lebanese militants might be in jeopardy," The New York Times said. The U.S. has pushed Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah, but Aoun has cautioned that the "delicate" issue must be handled carefully to maintain peace. Hezbollah has insisted it will not give up its weapons.

What next?

The Lebanese presidency urged the U.S. and France — the brokers of November's ceasefire — to pressure Israel to halt its attacks on Lebanon.

Will a weakened Hezbollah in Lebanon disarm?

ABBY SEWELL
Mon, April 28, 2025

AP



FILE - Fighters from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah train in southern Lebanon, May 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)ASSOCIATED PRESS

FILE - An Israeli soldier from an EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) poses with a weapon used by Hezbollah seized during combat operations in Lebanon displayed during a government-organized media tour on a base in southern Israel, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, File)ASSOCIATED PRESS

FILE - A trailer carrying the coffins containing the bodies of Hezbollah's former leader Hassan Nasrallah and his cousin and successor Hashem Safieddine drives through the crowd as it enters the Sports City Stadium during a funeral procession in Beirut, Lebanon, Feb. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)ASSOCIATED PRESS

FILE - Flames rise from a metal tent that was hit by an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)ASSOCIATED PRESS

FILE - Weapons and other equipment said to belong to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and seized by the Israeli military in its ground invasion of southern Lebanon are displayed at Northern Israel military base, Dec. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, File)ASSOCIATED PRESS

FILE - Hezbollah fighters attend the funeral procession of their two comrades who were killed by Israeli shelling, in Kherbet Selem village, south Lebanon, Oct. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)ASSOCIATED PRESS

FILE - Flames and smoke rise from an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, on Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File)ASSOCIATED PRESS

BEIRUT (AP) — Israel's latest airstrike on what it called a Hezbollah missile storage facility in Beirut's southern suburbs came during increasing pressure for the Lebanese militant group to disarm.

The disarmament of what has been the region's most powerful non-state armed group has come to look increasingly inevitable. Hezbollah is severely weakened after a war with Israel in which much of its top leadership was killed, and after losing a key ally with the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, a conduit for Iran to send arms.

Israel and the U.S. are pushing for swift disarmament, but when and how it will happen - if it does - is contested.

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun has said he is committed to bringing all arms in the country under state control, but that it will happen through discussions around a national security plan and not through force.

Many fear that an attempt to force the issue would lead to civil conflict, which Aoun has called a “red line.”

Hezbollah officials have said in principle that they are willing to discuss the group's arsenal, but leader Naim Qassem said in a speech earlier this month that any serious discussions are contingent on Israel withdrawing its forces from territory they occupy in southern Lebanon and halting near-daily airstrikes.

“The Lebanese have to strike a delicate balance” on disarmament, said Aram Nerguizian, a senior associate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“Go too slow ... and you will lose internal momentum and international legitimacy. Go too fast and you get accused by a still-hurting and battered Shia community" — who make up most of Hezbollah's constituency — "of acting as a proxy for Israel, while risking Hezbollah remnants ... waging an insurgency against the Lebanese government.”

What would disarmament look like?

After Lebanon’s 15-year civil war ended in 1990, the country went through a process of disarming most of the militias that had taken part. Hezbollah was the exception, given special status as a “resistance force” fighting against Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon at the time.

Aoun has outlined his vision of a similar disarmament process. Former Hezbollah fighters could apply to join the Lebanese army as individuals, the president said. Weapons deemed "usable” by the army would become part of its arsenal, while those deemed “unusable” would be destroyed.

What remains, he said, would not be compatible with the Lebanese army's arsenal, which is largely Western-supplied, while Hezbollah uses Iranian, Russian and Chinese-made weapons.

Nerguizian said it is unlikely that large numbers of Hezbollah's tens of thousands of fighters would be incorporated into the army because their ideology has not been compatible as a paramilitary force that has largely been “tied to the preferences of Iran."

Retired Lebanese army Gen. Hassan Jouni agreed that much of Hezbollah's arsenal would not be easily integrated but said the post-civil war era provides a precedent for integrating fighters.

After going through training, “they become like any other soldier,” he said. While there might be a “religious and ideological obstacle" for some Hezbollah fighters, "I do not think this is the case for everyone.”

Ibrahim Mousawi, a member of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, told The Associated Press that “everything is open for discussion."

“We don’t want to jump into discussing the details,” he said. "This is something that is being left in the hands of the president and the Hezbollah leadership to deal with.”

Mousawi said the destruction of Hezbollah’s arsenal “shouldn’t be acceptable to Lebanon.”

The cash-strapped Lebanese army has struggled to maintain its aging arsenal. In recent years, it has turned to the U.S. and Qatar to help pay soldiers' salaries.

“We are part of the Lebanese strength," Mousawi said. ”If the Americans are really keen to show us that they really respect Lebanon and they care for the Lebanese, ... why don’t they equip the Lebanese army with defensive weapons?”

When might disarming occur?

U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus said earlier this month in an interview broadcast on Lebanese channel LBCI that Hezbollah should be disarmed “as soon as possible."

A Lebanese diplomat said there is ongoing pressure from the Americans on that front. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

Hezbollah’s stance that it will not discuss giving up its armed wing before Israel withdraws from five key border points in southern Lebanon appears likely to drag out the process. Israeli officials have said that they plan to remain there indefinitely to secure their border and guard against any ceasefire violations by Hezbollah.

Israeli officials did not respond to a request for comment on the issue of Lebanon's army integrating former Hezbollah weapons and fighters.

Lebanese officials say that the Israeli presence violates the ceasefire agreement in November, under which Israel and Hezbollah were supposed to withdraw their forces from southern Lebanon, with the Lebanese army taking control alongside U.N. peacekeepers.

The Lebanese diplomat said that U.S. officials had acknowledged that Israeli forces remaining in the five border points constituted an “occupation” but had not put strong pressure on Israel to withdraw quickly.

A “smart way to break the deadlock” and avoid further escalation is for Washington to increase its support for the Lebanese army and push Israel to withdraw, said Bilal Saab, a former Pentagon official and senior managing director of the Washington-based TRENDS US consulting firm.

Retired Lebanese army Gen. Elias Hanna said he believes that Hezbollah is "still in the phase of denial” regarding the diminution of its military and political clout.

He said disarmament needs to take place as part of broader discussions about Lebanon's military doctrine and strategy. The Lebanese army could benefit from the experience of Hezbollah, which for many years maintained deterrence with Israel before the latest war, he said.

Saab said he believes the outcome is not in doubt.

“Hezbollah has a choice,” he said. “Either lay down its arms or have them removed by Israeli force.”

Analysis: Disarming Hezbollah, Palestinian factions -– Lebanon's chance to reclaim sovereignty

Dalal Saoud
Mon, April 28, 2025
UPI

Smoke and fire rise after an Israeli airstrike targeting Hezbollah weapons in Dahieh, southern Beirut, Lebanon, on Sunday. The attack destroyed a hangar and damaged nearby buildings and vehicles, according to Lebanese state media. Photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA-EFEMore


BEIRUT, Lebanon, April 28 (UPI) -- Lebanon, shattered by five decades of lawlessness, military occupation and the dominance of armed non-state actors, now has a chance to reclaim its long-lost sovereignty -- if it can overcome the final hurdles: disarming Hezbollah and the Palestinian armed factions.

However, the country's new leaders must walk a tightrope to accomplish a long-awaited mission -- one that seemed inconceivable just months ago.

The once-powerful Hezbollah has been significantly weakened by Israel, which has assassinated many of its top leaders and military commanders, destroyed much of its arsenal, and forced the group to retreat from the embattled southern region during a recent destructive war.

Its patron, Iran, also has seen a sharp decline in influence, losing much of its strength, its "axis of resistance" and its dominant regional role.

The Palestinian armed factions, including Hamas, are in no better position. The Gaza war has left them in disarray, with the Strip reduced to rubble and barely livable -- pushing the issue of armed struggle against Israel back to the forefront, but under drastically changed conditions.

Their military presence in Lebanon was called into question years ago, but now, more than ever, following Hezbollah's weakening and Israel's massive destruction of south Lebanon and other areas, it can no longer be justified or tolerated.

The dramatic regional shifts and mounting international pressure have made it clear that the time has come for these groups to relinquish their weapons, whether voluntarily or by force. Yet, despite Israel's continued use of overwhelming military power against Hezbollah and Hamas, it has failed to eliminate either.

Hezbollah remains well-armed and retains significant military capabilities, while Hamas continues to fight in Gaza and still holds the remaining Israeli captives. But both are stuck with limited options.

Aware of the challenges and risks of forcing the disarmament of Hezbollah, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, the country's former Army commander, opted for engaging the militant group in a one-to-one dialogue.

Aoun has remained firm since he was elected to the country's top post in January on his pledge to disarm all militias and impose the state monopoly on weapons.

However, stripping Hezbollah of its arms by force is "out of question" for the president because it could lead to "a civil war, confrontation between the Army and the group or among the Lebanese," according to a Lebanese official source.

Hezbollah's positions and military facilities south of the Litani River in south Lebanon already are being taken by the Lebanese Army and its weapons confiscated in line with the Nov. 27 cease-fire agreement that was brokered by the United States and France to end the war with Israel.


"Instructions to the Lebanese army are clear and Hezbollah is responding. There will be no weapons except those of the army," the source told UPI. "That's final."

In some cases, residents in the south have tipped off the Army about Hezbollah's well-concealed positions. Recently, soldiers discovered a Hezbollah-operated hospital hidden inside a mountain.

However, the issue of Hezbollah's bases north of the Litani River, where it reportedly stockpiles its long-range missiles, is more complicated.


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While the cease-fire agreement stipulates that Hezbollah must be fully disarmed, the Iran-backed group has argued that the provision applies only to south Lebanon.

Recently, Hezbollah has begun signaling a willingness to discuss its weapons on the condition that Israel halts its attacks and withdraws from five strategic hilltop positions it retained after pulling out of south Lebanon following the extension of the cease-fire deadline to Feb. 18.

Hezbollah's weapons outside the south Litani area "need a very quiet diplomacy," said the Lebanese official source, noting that Aoun-Hezbollah dialogue hasn't started yet, and the current efforts were limited to indirect contacts between the two sides.

"We are still in a preliminary phase, with no action plan or mechanism yet in place," he said, noting that the main obstacle is Israel's continued occupation of the five positions, which also prevents the Army's full deployment, and its reluctance to also discuss 13 disputed border points.

"To be honest, how can you expect to talk to Hezbollah about disarmament while Israel continues to bombard villages, strike its positions and assassinate its field commanders on a daily basis?" the source said, asking whether Israel was not bowing to U.S. pressure to withdraw or whether Washington's pressures are very limited.

He denied that the United States has set a deadline for Lebanon to fully disarm Hezbollah, but added, "That does not mean they will wait for us forever."

Riad Kahwaji, who heads the Dubai-based Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis, said Aoun does have a strong argument about the risks associated with the forced disarmament of Hezbollah.

"It could potentially lead to a civil war due to the religious factional composition of the country, as well as the armed forces," Kahwaji told UPI, noting that Hezbollah does enjoy wide support among a good portion of the Shiite community in Lebanon and is still regarded as very well armed despite its losses during the war with Israel.

"The Lebanese Army can engage them [Hezbollah fighters] and could probably succeed in disarming them, but this would be at a potential heavy cost. ... There will be certainly heavy bloodshed," Kahwaji told UPI.

The risk of Hezbollah retaining its weapons or retaliating against Israel's ongoing attacks could very likely provide Israel with a pretext to resume the war -- a scenario Hezbollah may not be able to withstand and one its popular base is unlikely to tolerate.

According to Kahwaji, the group's strategy of playing for time, in the hope that developments in Syria might reopen its supply routes from Iran and allow it to rebuild, is "illusional at this stage."

But what should be done with Hezbollah if and when it is disarmed?

One proposal, suggested by Aoun, is to integrate its fighters individually into the Lebanese Army -- much like former militias were absorbed after Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war -- rather than incorporating them as a distinct unit, as Iraq did with its Popular Mobilization Units.

However, many military experts warn that this approach carries significant risks and could prove highly destabilizing.

Kahwaji explained that while Hezbollah may desire its fighters to be absorbed into the armed forces, the group most likely would want to maintain cohesion and preserve its independent leadership.

"Integrating a group that serves a religious ideology, takes orders from its own commanders and ultimately answers to Iran into a secular institution sensitive to the country's religious and sectarian composition will be extremely difficult and highly dangerous," he said.

Such a move would complicate Lebanon's normalization with Syria's new leadership that was born out of Sunni Islamic groups and most likely would be rejected by the United States., western powers and Arab Gulf countries that provide aid to the war-ravaged country.

Is it the end of the anti-Israel armed struggle? Would it be possible without a just solution to the Palestinian issue?

Hilal Khashan, a professor of political science at the American University of Beirut, argued that Hezbollah will realize that it is "outside the Middle East military equation," especially since the United States and Iran "appear readying themselves for a historic agreement."

"Hezbollah is no longer in a position to challenge Israel. It has become a sitting duck that does not answer Israeli daily air raids and assassinations," Khashan told UPI.

The Lebanon-based Palestinian armed factions, he said, also have no choice but to lay down their arms and allow the Lebanese authorities to assume full control over 12 refugee camps in various Lebanese regions.

"Armed struggle is a thing of the past. If Hamas cannot hold its ground in Gaza, we should not expect it to hold on in Lebanon," he added.

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