Hezbollah responds to the November deadline and signals its commitment to keeping its weapons

Lebanon’s Hezbollah has responded to an American deadline given to the Lebanese army to address the issue of its weaponry, reaffirming what it described as its “right to resist.”

On Thursday, Hezbollah declared that Lebanon must not be “dragged into political negotiations with Israel,” asserting its “legitimate right to resist the Israeli occupation.”

In an open letter addressed to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, the group stated that Israel has failed to comply with the ceasefire reached a year ago.

The letter added: “Lebanon is currently concerned with ending the aggression, and has absolutely no interest in yielding to blackmail or being drawn into political negotiations with Israel.”

Yesterday, Israel’s Channel 13 reported that U.S. envoy Tom Barak had given the Lebanese army until the end of November to bring about change regarding Hezbollah’s weapons.

According to the report, Barak made it clear that if no progress was made, Israel would be justified in launching attacks, with the understanding and support of the United States.

The same report stated that the Israeli army is preparing for a possible multi-day round of fighting with Hezbollah, as Israel steps up its threats to resume airstrikes, hoping the pressure will push the Lebanese government to disarm the group.

Tensions between Lebanon and Israel remain high amid broader regional instability and growing fears of a potential new confrontation between Hezbollah and Tel Aviv.

According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Western intelligence assessments suggest that Hezbollah has managed, at least in part, to rebuild its military supply network, receiving weapons shipments from Iran through Iraq and Syria.