Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has said that his group’s disarmament was unacceptable and amounted to “annihilation”, as Lebanon prepares for a new round of direct talks with Israel in Washington early next month, AFP reports.
“Disarmament means stripping Lebanon of its defensive capability and the capability of the resistance (Hezbollah) and [these] people, paving the way for annihilation,” he said in a televised address, adding: “Disarmament is annihilation and we cannot accept it.”
A state monopoly on weapons demanded by Lebanese authorities, “at this stage, is aimed at targeting the resistance and is an Israeli project”, he added.