BEIRUT — Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem, for the first time, adopted a notably stern tone, issuing a direct warning to anti-Resistance factions about the consequences of aligning with the Israeli project.

The Hezbollah chief issued the warning in a speech commemorating Arbaeen, the 40th day marking the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS). 

What Sheikh Qassem implied was that the Resistance’s patience was running out, to the point that there would be no room for diplomacy if Nawaf Salam’s government were to engage in a confrontation with Hezbollah to disarm the movement in accordance with the US-Israeli plan.

It is noteworthy that the vocal tone that characterized Sheikh Qassem’s Friday speech came after the visit of Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, to Lebanon, and the strongly worded position of Yemen’s leader Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.

These decisive, proactive positions confirmed Tehran and Sanaa’s strong support for preventing the disarmament of West Asia’s resistance movements, which they described as nothing more than a pipe dream in light of Netanyahu’s Talmudic expansionist myths.

Sheikh Qassem explicitly accused the Lebanese government of serving the Israeli project by proceeding with the arms embargo, using the term “Karbala battle” no matter the cost.

The Hezbollah chief warned: “Either we preserve Lebanon and coexist together, or there is no point in regretting.”

It is noteworthy that On August 7, the Lebanese government, acting under US-Israeli influence, assigned the Lebanese Army to draft a plan in the current month to restrict arms possession exclusively to the state, with implementation set for completion by the end of 2025.

Sheikh Naim Qassem explicitly affirmed that the Resistance will not surrender its weapons and held the Salam government responsible for any sedition. It’s as if he’s saying: Let Israel withdraw from the southern lands and Lebanon obtain guarantees that Israel will not attack in the future first, and then we’ll be open to any national discussion on the arms issue.

Naturally, Hezbollah’s opponents quickly attacked Sheikh Qassem’s speech, claiming it is an explicit incitement to civil war. The single goal of this team has long been to ultimately achieve normalization with the Israeli entity.

Observers believe that the timeframe for this goal is the second half of next year, i.e., after the parliamentary elections (May 2026). They are deluded that normalization with Israel will open the doors to prosperity for Lebanon!

Seemingly, those do not (or do not want to) monitor the situation of Egypt, which has not witnessed a single economic boom since the Camp David accord; or Jordan, which relies on American aid (20% of its budget); not to mention Sudan, which has become a battleground for devastating conflicts!

All that can be expected from Israel is to turn Lebanon into a second West Bank, and the Lebanese government into another Palestinian Authority. Thus, the Lebanese army’s role becomes protecting Israel’s security, and the role of the Lebanese serving the flocks of colonial settlers.

For their part, Hezbollah’s supporters countered that Sheikh Qassem’s speech was a reaction to the US-Israeli plan to withdraw the Resistance’s weapons through coercion, pressure, and threats.

Before discussing the fate of the Resistance’s weapons, the government must guarantee that it will launch the reconstruction program in the destroyed villages; that Israeli enemy forces withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories; cease daily violations of UN Resolution 1701; and free the resistance prisoners. 

On November 27, 2024, a ceasefire agreement went into effect, but the Israeli occupation entity violated it more than 3,000 times, resulting in the martyrdom of approximately 266 Lebanese citizens and the wounding of 563, according to official data.