Do not ask anything from us anymore… Hezbollah rejects disarmament north of the Litani

Lebanon’s Hezbollah moved ahead of the government’s plans to move to the second phase of the decision to make weapons exclusive to the state, implicitly rejecting disarmament north of the Litani River.

The party’s deputy secretary-general, Naim Qassem, reaffirmed Hezbollah’s position that the ceasefire agreement with Israel stipulates disarmament only south of the Litani, saying: “Do not ask anything from us anymore.”

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While Hezbollah says that the ceasefire provisions related to disarmament do not apply north of the Litani, the government insists that its plan to confine weapons to the state covers the entire national territory.

Qassem’s stance came days after Prime Minister Najib Mikati affirmed the government’s readiness to implement the plan to restrict weapons north of the Litani.

The Lebanese prime minister said last week: “The first phase of the weapons-control plan, related to the south of the Litani River, is only days away from completion, and the state is ready to move to the second phase — namely, north of the Litani — based on the plan prepared by the Lebanese Army at the government’s request.”

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In August, the Council of Ministers approved limiting weapons to the state and asked the Lebanese Army to draft an implementation plan to be completed before the end of the year — a decision rejected by Hezbollah.

In September, the government formally adopted the plan presented by the army command to strip the party of its weapons.

On December 19, the French capital hosted a meeting attended by Lebanese Army commander Rudolf Heikal to discuss “practical means” to verify Hezbollah’s disarmament.

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In a speech delivered on Sunday, Qassem ignored the government’s decision and again referred to the agreement with Israel, saying: “The agreement (with Israel) is meant for the south of the Litani River. Five times it mentions the south of the Litani River. I am surprised by those who do not see what is required of Israel and instead try to interpret the agreement by adding more demands on Hezbollah and on Lebanon.”

He added: “Our position is this: what the Lebanese Army has achieved in terms of deployment south of the Litani River in the past period was supposed to happen only if Israel complied. Even so, we facilitated it, and the army deployed. Volunteering further measures — whether by the Lebanese state or others — is an irresponsible concession, indeed a dangerous one, that threatens major national interests. Do not ask anything from us anymore.”

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