BEIRUT/ANKARA

The Lebanese group Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem declared on Friday that the party will not hand over its weapons as long as Israel continues to exist.

Qassem made the statement in a televised address delivered on the occasion of the 40th-day commemoration of Imam Hussein in the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek.

The commemoration marks the end of a 40-day mourning period for the grandson of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, Imam Hussein, killed in battle in 680. Every year, thousands of Shia pilgrims travel on foot to Iraq's Karbala city to mark the ritual, one of the largest religious events in the Shia world.

“The resistance will not surrender its weapons while the (Israeli) occupation exists. We are ready to fight a Karbala-like battle if necessary against the Israeli-American project, no matter the price,” Qassem said.

He also criticized the Lebanese government, saying it “bears full responsibility for any internal strife and for neglecting its duty to defend the country’s land.”

Addressing the government directly, Qassem urged: “Stop the aggression and expel Israel from Lebanon.”

“You will have our full cooperation during discussions on national and strategic security,” said Qassem in reference to the government’s stance on disarming Hezbollah and consolidating arms under state control.

Qassem further cautioned that street protests against disarmament could escalate, potentially reaching the US Embassy in Beirut.

In a move seen as directly targeting Hezbollah for the first time in years, the Lebanese Cabinet last week tasked the army with drafting a full disarmament plan and endorsed the objectives of a US-backed proposal calling for the state’s exclusive control over all weapons across the country.

The controversial step was met with fierce opposition from Hezbollah, which condemned the plan as a “grave mistake” and made clear it would not comply.

Israel launched a military offensive in Lebanon on Oct. 8, 2023, which escalated into a full-scale war by September 2024, killing more than 4,000 people and injuring around 17,000.

A ceasefire was reached in November, but Israeli forces have conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, claiming to target activities of the Lebanese Hezbollah group.

Under the truce, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Tel Aviv refused to comply. Israel still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.