Senior Hezbollah official Mohammad Raad on Monday delivered a sharp rebuke of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government, accusing it of bowing to foreign pressure after its recent decision to enforce a monopoly of arms under the state.
Mohammad Raad © Mena Today
Senior Hezbollah official Mohammad Raad on Monday delivered a sharp rebuke of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government, accusing it of bowing to foreign pressure after its recent decision to enforce a monopoly of arms under the state.
Speaking at a memorial in southern Lebanon for two Hezbollah commanders killed in the 2023–2024 war with Israel, Raad declared that the group’s “resistance” would not allow Israel to achieve its aims “through submissive governments or foreign tutelage.”
The Salam government’s stance on Hezbollah’s disarmament, along with a ban on projecting images of the group’s slain leaders at Beirut’s Raouché landmark last week, has fueled tensions. Hezbollah defied the order with a large public display, deepening its standoff with the cabinet.
Raad warned of a wider “enemy plan” aimed at politically and financially isolating Hezbollah to force Lebanon toward normalization with Israel. He insisted the “axis of resistance” across the region would not yield.
Hezbollah was severely weakened in its last war with Israel, losing senior commanders, much of its arsenal, and suffering heavy civilian casualties.
Yet party leaders, including Secretary-General Naïm Qassem, continue to claim the movement has regained strength despite ongoing Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the first direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in decades on Tuesday and both sides said they held positive discussions although it was not immediately clear if they agreed to a framework for peace.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has signaled his country's desire for full normalization with Lebanon, just ahead of a key round of peace talks scheduled in Washington.
Israeli and Lebanese envoys will meet for U.S.-mediated talks in Washington on Tuesday as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to calm weeks of Israeli fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah that has threatened to derail a fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire.
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