Hezbollah Vows To Keep Weapons, Says Iran-U.S. Deal Is Best Chance To Halt Israeli Operations

Key Facts

Published: May 12, 2026 Location: Beirut / Jerusalem Source: Times of Israel

• Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said an Iran-U.S. agreement may be the best chance to halt Israeli operations in Lebanon.
• Qassem rejected any outside demand for Hezbollah to disarm, saying the group’s weapons are an “internal Lebanese matter.”
• Hezbollah threatened escalation if fighting continues, while saying it supports Lebanese army deployment south of the Litani River.

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said an agreement between Iran and the United States may be the best path to ending Israeli military operations in Lebanon, while defiantly rejecting any outside demand that the Iranian-backed terrorist group disarm.

In a letter addressed to Hezbollah operatives, Qassem said the group would not accept any deal with Israel that includes the surrender of its weapons, insisting the matter belongs solely to Lebanon.

“No one outside Lebanon has any say in the weapons, the resistance, or the organization of Lebanon’s internal affairs,” Qassem said. “This is an internal Lebanese matter and not part of negotiations with the enemy.”

The remarks come as U.S.-led diplomacy continues to press for a broader regional arrangement involving Iran, Lebanon and Israel. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently said an Israel-Lebanon agreement is achievable, but identified Hezbollah as the central obstacle, noting that Israel is insisting any lasting deal address the terror group’s weapons.

Hezbollah Rejects Disarmament, Threatens Escalation

Qassem said Hezbollah is prepared to cooperate with the Lebanese government on five demands: ending Israeli military operations, withdrawing Israeli forces, securing the release of Lebanese prisoners, returning civilians to southern Lebanon, and beginning reconstruction.

He also said Hezbollah supports deployment of the Lebanese army south of the Litani River — a key provision long tied to efforts to restore Lebanese state authority in the south.

But Qassem made clear that Hezbollah’s weapons remain off the table.

If fighting continues, he threatened to turn Lebanon into “hell” for Israel, warning that Hezbollah would respond to what he called Israeli “aggression and violations.”

“We will respond to the aggression and violations, and we will not return to the pre-March 2nd status quo,” he said.

Hezbollah’s position underscores the long-running dilemma facing Lebanon: a sovereign government under pressure to restore national control, while an Iranian-backed armed movement continues to operate as a state within a state.

Israel has repeatedly said Hezbollah’s military presence along its northern border is intolerable, especially after years of rocket fire, cross-border attacks, and the group’s direct alignment with Tehran. Hezbollah, meanwhile, continues to frame its arsenal as “resistance,” even as its weapons have drawn Lebanon deeper into regional conflict.

For Israel, the issue is not merely political. It is a matter of border security and national survival. For Lebanon, it is a test of whether the Lebanese state can reclaim authority from a terror organization whose decisions can plunge the entire nation into war.

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