A Hezbollah supporter holds up a Hezbollah flag in Beirut, Lebanon, on July 26, 2025. BILAL HUSSEIN / AP
Hezbollah said on Wednesday, August 6, that it would treat a Lebanese government decision to disarm the militant group "as if it did not exist," accusing the cabinet of committing a "grave sin." Amid heavy US pressure and fears Israel could expand its strikes on Lebanon, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Tuesday that the government had tasked the army with developing a plan to restrict weapons to government forces by the end of the year.
The plan is to be presented to the government by the end of August for discussion and approval, and another cabinet meeting is scheduled for Thursday to continue the talks, including on a US-proposed timetable for disarmament. Hezbollah said the government had "committed a grave sin by taking the decision to disarm Lebanon of its weapons to resist the Israeli enemy."
The decision is unprecedented since Lebanon's civil war factions gave up their weapons three and a half decades ago. "This decision undermines Lebanon's sovereignty and gives Israel a free hand to tamper with its security, geography, politics and future existence (...) Therefore, we will treat this decision as if it does not exist," the Iran-backed group said in a statement.
