Hezbollah’s leader, Naim Qassem, recently said that his group would not let anyone disarm it. His comments come as the Lebanese government appears to be trying to do more to keep Hezbollah in check in southern Lebanon.
However, judging by Israel’s continued airstrikes on Hezbollah operatives, the terrorist group continues to present a challenge.
For instance, the IDF said that on Friday, “a Hezbollah terrorist was struck and eliminated by the IDF in the area of Ayta ash Shab in southern Lebanon.”
On the same day, the Israeli Air Force “conducted a precise strike in the area of Sidon and eliminated the Hezbollah terrorist Muhammad Jaafar Mannah Asaad Abdallah,” the IDF said. “Abdallah was involved in terrorist activities against the State of Israel and was responsible, among other things, for the deployment of Hezbollah’s communication systems throughout Lebanon, specifically in the area south of the Litani River.
Qassem, by contrast, has said that “Israel’s push for disarming Hezbollah is aimed at occupying Lebanon as the regime is pursuing expansionist plans,” according to a recent article at Iran’s IRNA media.
The IRNA report went on to note that “the Secretary General of the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement, Sheikh Naim Qassem, says the movement will not allow anyone to disarm as it is determined to continue resistance against Israeli aggression.”
Qassem made the statements in a speech on Friday, the same day as the Israeli strikes. The US wants Hezbollah disarmed, the same IRNA report said.
Hezbollah has long presented its need to stockpile a massive arsenal of weapons, as part of “resistance” against Israel. Obviously, the same weapons could be in the hands of the Lebanese army, so Hezbollah’s claims are largely hollow.
What is Hezbollah’s goal?
The only real goal of Hezbollah is to maintain an independent army or a state within a state in Lebanon. This weakens Lebanon and creates conflict. Far from leading to “resistance,” Hezbollah’s arms actually cause war and have weakened Lebanon and given Israel the right to continue striking Hezbollah in self-defense.
Hezbollah says, “Weapons are exclusively tied to confronting the Israeli enemy.” However, it is precisely this Hezbollah policy that led to the group being hobbled by Israel.
“The primary issue in Lebanon is not the Resistance’s weapons but the expulsion of the Israeli occupation,” Qassem said, according to Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen news network.
Qassem pretends that disarming Hezbollah will weaken Lebanon. “Israel is expansionist and is not satisfied with occupied Palestine. It also wants to take Lebanon. Israel wants to occupy the largest part of Lebanon to annex it to occupied Palestine, and build settlements on Lebanese land,” the Hezbollah leader claimed.
The challenge of prevailing over Hezbollah still lies ahead
The comments by the Hezbollah leader reflect the challenge ahead. Today, Hezbollah is weaker than it was two years ago. However, it is not gone. It is still a powerful organization.
Hezbollah has recovered in the past, such as after setbacks in the 2006 war. It’s not clear if Hezbollah is now weaker than in 2006 or stronger. It is clear that Hezbollah has often had long-term plans to remain in power.
Meanwhile, the Iranian axis in the region faces other challenges. The Iraqi militia continues to threaten Iraq and also threatens Syria’s President.
They are threatening the Syrian president because he is expected to visit Iraq. The Houthis continue to face US airstrikes. Hamas is also facing Israel in Gaza. None of these groups has surrendered.
The only major change for Iran is the removal of the Assad regime. That is the one place where an Iranian partner was completely defeated. The Houthis, Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Hashd al-Sha’abi or Shi’ite militias in Iraq all remain as players on the board.
The Iranian regime is involved in nuclear talks with the US. In the past, it has used talks to try to preserve its regional role and the role of its militias.
In 2015, for instance, it appears Iran used the talks to get the US to reduce pressure on the Assad regime.
It’s not entirely clear how this played out, but it appears Iran’s IRGC Quds Force head Qasem Soleimani got Russia to intervene in Syria around the same time, thus shoring up the Assad regime.
Now the Assad regime is gone. However, Iran will still want to preserve groups like Hezbollah. Disarming them will be a challenge.
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