BEIRUT—Writing in The Telegraph, former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton has said “Hezbollah shows no signs of giving up.  And, for well or ill, the UN’s longstanding Lebanon peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, has such a tarnished reputation for ineffectiveness that its mandate will be ended at the end of 2026.”

Bolton claimed, “Lebanon’s government thus faces an arduous task to end Hezbollah’s military capabilities and prevent Iran’s continuing financial and other support. That task is likely impossible without outside help.”

On the anniversary of Imam al-Sadr’s disappearance, and like Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri emphasized that there is no bargaining over the Resistance's weapons.

Berri reiterated that this issue should be discussed within the framework of a consensual national dialogue under the auspices of the constitution and not under external or internal pressure.

Warning against Netanyahu’s expansionist scheme to annex Lebanon, Berri said, “Weapons are our pride and our honor,” rejecting attempts to force the army to confront the resistance.

The Speaker of Parliament also attacked those who bet on Israeli aggression to tip the balance, accusing them of bullying the Shiites as “a founding sect of the Lebanese society.”

This call for dialogue was previously communicated by Berri to President Joseph Aoun, especially in light of Israel’s rejection and intransigence.

Berri had sought, at the very least, to reach a unified position to protect Lebanese rights, but Prime Minister Nawaf Salam refused due to the persistent Saudi and American pressure.

However, the greater responsibility falls on President Aoun, who is well aware of the dangers of attempting to disarm Hezbollah by force at the cost of peace in the country.

This was emphasized by MP Mohammad Raad, head of Hezbollah’s Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc to President Aoun’s envoy, Brigadier General Andre Rahal. Raad communicated to Aoun that he is concerned with Salam’s volatility, who is pushing Lebanon toward chaos, leaving it as a prey to Israeli aggression.

It is worth noting that the mission given by the Nawaf Salam government to the army to disarm the Resistance is being hindered by numerous obstacles, not because the army lacks the political consensus, or capabilities and personnel, but because the army is aware that at least half of the Lebanese population opposes this plan.

Israel’s repeated violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty confirms that the “weapons exclusivity” slogan is purely an Israeli objective.  

Meanwhile, the Israeli enemy appears it is caught between rushing to a decision in fear that Hezbollah will quickly recover its power, or trembling in fear that Hezbollah will rain down missiles on the stolen Palestinian territories.

Due to the complicity of the Lebanese government, Israel is behaving as if the opportunity to deal severe blows to Hezbollah may not recur in the future. It realizes that harsh blows have not eradicated a highly ideological organization capable of steadfastness and adaptability, and that any delay could give the Resistance a golden opportunity to take the initiative at its own hand.

Recently, residents of a number of border villages in the border with occupied Palestine have revealed enemy forces infiltrating across the border persistently.
Due to the government’s failure to fulfill its role in protecting the southern border villages, the Israeli occupying army has been passing through Lebanese army checkpoints and barracks without anyone interfering.

Israel undoubtedly emerged from the last confrontation with greater freedom of movement, but it would be sufficient for Hezbollah missiles to fall again on occupied Palestine to shatter its image of alleged victory.

As Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has said, Lebanon’s pro–Israel camp is trying to exploit the historic opportunity to eliminate the resistance.
The Israeli arrogance does not allow for any “concessions”. It prefers to perpetuate the equation of superiority and hegemony.  This again reinforces Hezbollah’s legitimate right to continue to possess weapons.