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.
Lebanese armed group Hezbollah on Saturday commemorated one year since leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed by Israel, the opening salvo of a war that ultimately battered his once-powerful group and left swathes of Lebanon in ruins.
Lebanese authorities will on Friday release former central bank governor Riad Salameh, who posted a record-high bail after nearly 13 months in detention over alleged financial crimes committed during his tenure, a Lebanese judicial source said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday there has been progress on a security deal with Syria but an agreement was not imminent.
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