Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem warned that a Lebanese government plan to disarm his Iran-backed group could trigger a new civil war.
Earlier this month, the government tasked the army to draw up the plan by Aug. 31, and approved the "objectives" outlined in a U.S. proposal concerning Hezbollah's disarmament.
Qasim on Friday lashed out at the government, holding it responsible for potential unrest in the country that experienced a 15-year civil war starting in 1975.
"This government is implementing an American-Israeli order on terminating the resistance even if this leads to a civil war and internal sedition," he said in a televised address.
"The government has taken a very dangerous decision violating the charter of co-existence and it [the government] is exposing the country to a big crisis."
