1. US envoy called on Israel for a ceasefire with Hezbollah.
2. The move has sparked fierce pushback from Hezbollah; Naim Qassem accused Beirut of “handing the country to Israel.
3. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned Qassem’s remarks as “a veiled threat of civil war.
US envoy Tom Barrack has called on Israel to honour its commitments under the ceasefire that ended last year’s war with Hezbollah, after the Lebanese government began a process to dismantle the militant group’s arsenal.
The move has sparked fierce pushback from Hezbollah. In a televised address on Friday, deputy chief Naim Qassem accused Beirut of “handing the country to Israel” by pursuing disarmament, vowing the group would resist any attempt to strip it of weapons. His comments came after a meeting with Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, underscoring Tehran’s continued support for the group.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned Qassem’s remarks as “a veiled threat of civil war,” stressing that “no one in Lebanon today wants a civil war, and any threats or intimidation of such a war are completely unacceptable.”
Lebanon remains haunted by memories of its 15-year civil conflict between 1975 and 1990, which killed an estimated 200,000 people. Israel also invaded in 1982, only withdrawing fully in 2000 after years of clashes with Hezbollah.
The group was left severely weakened by its latest war with Israel, which saw longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah killed in a massive strike in Beirut. Under US pressure, Lebanon’s army has been tasked with devising a plan to disarm Hezbollah by the year’s end.
