Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem says his group will not accept any timetable on handing over its weapons to the Lebanon while Israeli strikes continue.

Beirut

Lebanon's government is engaged in unprecedented discussions over the fate of Hezbollah's weapons, prompted by external pressure from the United States and Israel. These countries are seeking a formal commitment and timeline for Hezbollah's disarmament, but the Lebanese cabinet has yet to reach an agreement, opting to continue discussions and commission the army to present a plan for monopolizing arms.

Hezbollah's leadership has firmly rejected any timeline for disarmament, especially while accusing Israel of ongoing violations of a ceasefire agreement. President Joseph Aoun has called for immediate disarmament as Lebanon faces a critical juncture, but Hezbollah maintains that its weapons are essential for resistance and will only consider talks if Israeli actions cease. The situation remains tense as the international community awaits Lebanon's next move.

Hezbollah says it will not hand over weapons

A divided government discussed one of the, if not the most divisive issue in Lebanon, the fate of Hezbollah's weapons. It's unprecedented for a Lebanese government to do so, and it shows a big shift in the balance of power after Israel's war on the group last year. And it's doing so under pressure from the United States and Israel, who want a formal commitment and a timeline to disarm Hezbollah. But there was no agreement. The cabinet decided to keep discussing the U.S. proposals on Thursday, and the army has been commissioned to present a plan to monopolize arms before the end of this year, and it should be presented to the cabinet before the end of this month. While cabinet met, Hezbollah's leader Naim Asim stressed the group's position. It says it won't hand over its weapons, especially if Israel continues to violate November's ceasefire agreement. We don't accept the U.S. demands, and we don't accept any timeline for disarmament, he said. The state needs to prepare a plan to face the pressures and the aggressions. That is your job, not to take away the power that Lebanon and the resistance has. The priority should not be disarmament to serve Israel, the U.S., and an Arab country. You should stop attacks, end Israel's presence in southern Lebanon, and release prisoners. After that, we are ready to talk. Israel has kept up regular strikes against Hezbollah targets since the cessation of hostilities, and has threatened to keep doing so until the group is disarmed. But Hezbollah insists it is still strong, and missiles will once again fall on Israel if it launches a broader war. Hezbollah is the only faction that kept its weapons after Lebanon's civil war ended more than three decades ago, in the name of resistance against Israel. Now, the new leadership has committed to reclaiming the state and all of its institutions. They took power with Arab and international backing. Since taking office earlier this year, President Joseph Aoun has preferred dialogue over force when dealing with the issue of weapons outside the state's control. He now says disarmament should happen today, not tomorrow, because Lebanon is at a crucial stage. International pressure is building. And the president says Lebanon has two choices, either to continue down the path of collapse, or take the necessary steps towards stability. Hezbollah's media say the two options are surrender or chaos. Lebanon has already ruled out handing over its arms, while its supporters are accused of intimidation tactics. All the while, the Lebanese wait to see how Israel and other international actors respond if the government doesn't take action against Hezbollah. Zainab Khader, Al Jazeera, Beirut.

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