Hezbollah chief links US and Israeli election results to Lebanon standoff
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has said recent election results in the United States and Israel could help Lebanon in its long-running dispute over the group's weapons. Speaking in a video-link address on Wednesday, he described the US results as an "earthquake" and the Israeli vote as a "defeat". His remarks came during a speech honouring members of the group killed by Israel and their families.
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Qassem said the bloc led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fell short of the 61 seats it needed to remain in power after the October 27 vote. He also said Republican losses in the US midterm elections last week were positive for Lebanon. In his comments, he argued that the results should strengthen Lebanon's position as it faces pressure from Washington to disarm Hezbollah.
The Hezbollah chief rejected any move to place the group's weapons under state control while Israeli forces remain in parts of southern Lebanon. He said there would be "no state monopoly on the resistance's weapons, no regulation, no prohibition, and no disarmament under Israeli occupation". Qassem also called on Lebanese people to rebuild the country together and said Lebanon should be protected from what he described as outside tutelage.
The remarks underline the continuing standoff between Hezbollah and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who is backed by the United States and has been at odds with the group over its arsenal. Washington wants Hezbollah to give up its weapons, while the group says that would amount to surrendering to Israel. The issue remains one of the most sensitive in Lebanese politics because it touches both sovereignty and the balance of power inside the country.
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Qassem's comments also reflect the wider regional fallout from the conflict involving Hezbollah, Israel and Iran. He took over as Hezbollah's secretary-general after Israel killed Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine in 2024. The group's retaliation with missiles and drones into Israel triggered weeks of Israeli strikes on south Lebanon, which Lebanese authorities say killed more than 4,300 people and displaced about one million, according to the United Nations.
What remains unclear is whether the election results in the US and Israel will change the pressure on Hezbollah in any immediate way. It is also not clear how Lebanon's leadership will respond to Qassem's renewed refusal to disarm. The dispute is likely to remain central to Lebanon's internal politics and to its relations with Washington and Israel in the coming weeks.
