Hezbollah says it will never disarm after Trump issues 60-day deadline

US delegation warns Beirut that Trump is increasingly frustrated with Lebanon’s failure to disarm Hezbollah.

By World Israel News Staff

Hezbollah’s leader appeared to directly defy demands by the Trump administration that the Iranian-backed Shiite terror group surrender its weapons, in keeping with the terms of last November’s ceasefire deal with Israel.

On Tuesday night, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem issued a video statement denying that the Nov. 27, 2024, truce agreement with Israel required the terror group to disarm all its forces in Lebanon.

Instead, Qassem claimed, the agreement brokered by France and the US only obligated Hezbollah to withdraw its armed forces from south of the Litani River, along the Israeli frontier.

“Israeli strikes cannot continue indefinitely,” said Qassem, referring to the nearly daily IDF strikes against Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon. “Everything has its limits. We will not give up our weapons.”

“We will not relinquish our weapons, nor will we entrust the future of our generations to arrogant powers,” he stated.

“It is our right to do whatever is necessary to defend our existence, our land, and our people.”

In addition, Qassem accused Israel of violating the ceasefire deal, citing the continued IDF presence in five enclaves along the Israel-Lebanon border.

The Hezbollah chief threatened to use “all legitimate and available means” to force Israel out of the enclaves.

The US, which heads the committee enforcing the ceasefire deal, approved Israel’s request to retain five outposts on the Lebanese side of the border, citing Beirut’s ongoing failure to disarm Hezbollah.

Qassem’s statement came a day after a senior US Treasury Department delegation visited Beirut, meeting with government ministers and members of parliament.

During Monday’s visit, the Trump administration officials warned Lebanese ministers and lawmakers that the White House is increasingly frustrated with Beirut’s failure to fulfill its obligations under the Nov. 2024 agreement – in particular the demilitarization of Hezbollah.

While Lebanon’s army has taken steps to clear Hezbollah’s infrastructure from southern Lebanon, the government has failed to address Hezbollah’s presence elsewhere in the country, nor has Beirut drafted a timetable for disarming the terror group.

According to a report by OTV Lebanon, the US delegation gave Lebanon 60 days to undertake reforms required under the 2024 deal and to disarm Hezbollah.

The US threatened to drop its involvement in mediating the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah – a move that could enable Israel to resume its attacks on Hezbollah positions deep in Lebanese territory, including in the capital.

Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel has greater freedom of action to strike Hezbollah forces south of the Litani River, but it requires approval from the ceasefire committee – headed by the US – for military action north of the Litani.

The US delegation also demanded Lebanon crack down on Iranian funding for Hezbollah.

Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley said that Tehran had managed to transfer some $1 billion to Hezbollah since the ceasefire went into effect a year ago.

“We were very frank with the president, the prime minister and other senior officials that there’s a window right now, particularly between now and the election,” Hurley said, referring to Lebanon’s next parliamentary election, slated for next May.