ByREUTERS
Updated:

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun said on Thursday that Lebanese political parties need to seize the opportunity and hand over their weapons sooner rather than later, as Washington increases pressure on Hezbollah to give up its arms.

He added that the country would seek $1 billion annually for 10 years to support the army and security forces in Lebanon.

Aoun's statement follows Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem's speech on Wednesday evening, where he said the Iran-aligned group's disarmament served only Israel.

"Those who call for submitting arms practically demand submitting them to Israel... We will not submit to Israel," Qassem said in a televised address.

Hezbollah emerged badly damaged from a war with Israel last year that eliminated most of the group's leadership, killed thousands of its fighters, and left tens of thousands of its supporters displaced from their destroyed homes.

Members of the Popular Mobilization Forces lift flags as they line up during the funeral procession for Hussein Khalil, who was a bodyguard for Lebanon's slain Hezbollah leader, his son Mahdi Khalil, and Iraqi commander Haider al-Moussawi from Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada, in Baghdad on June 22, 2025.
Members of the Popular Mobilization Forces lift flags as they line up during the funeral procession for Hussein Khalil, who was a bodyguard for Lebanon's slain Hezbollah leader, his son Mahdi Khalil, and Iraqi commander Haider al-Moussawi from Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada, in Baghdad on June 22, 2025. (credit: Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images)

The US is now pushing Lebanon to issue a formal cabinet decision committing to disarm Hezbollah before talks can resume on a halt to Israeli military operations in the country, five sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Hezbollah has publicly refused to hand over its arsenal in full, but has privately weighed scaling it back.

Prioritizing Israel over Lebanon

"Those who call for disarmament on a domestic, global, or Arab level serve the Israeli project," Qassem said.

He also said the US was demanding the removal of Hezbollah's missiles and drones because they "scare" Israel, accusing US Envoy Thomas Barrack of calling for disarmament for the sake of Israel and not Lebanon's own security.

"Israel will not be able to defeat us and it will not be able to take Lebanon hostage," he added.

In early July, Barrack met Lebanese officials in Beirut to discuss the disarmament proposal. It would see Hezbollah fully disarmed within four months in exchange for the withdrawal of Israeli troops occupying several posts in south Lebanon and a halt to Israeli air strikes.

Hezbollah has been under pressure in recent months, both within Lebanon and from Washington, to completely relinquish its weaponry.