A representative of Hezbollah: We must focus on stopping Israel’s aggression before weapons news

Lebanese Hezbollah representative Hussein Haj Hassan said – in an intervention with Al Jazeera – that the focus in Lebanon must be on the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation, stopping the aggression, and restoring the prisoners, before the party’s weapons.

Hajj Hassan reiterated Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm, and said, “When the enemy withdraws, the aggression stops, the prisoners return, and reconstruction begins, Lebanon is then supposed to discuss a national defense strategy on the basis of which the Lebanese can agree.”

In the context of his speech, he cited what is happening in Syria, where he said that the Israeli aggression against it continues even though there are neither weapons nor resistance.

In his answer to a question about Israel’s threat to launch a military strike if Hezbollah is not disarmed, the Lebanese MP said, “It is possible for a person to preserve his dignity, his sovereignty, and his homeland, not to surrender to pressure and intimidation, and for a person to have a vision for the future, not to be led into a negotiating path that has no beginning or end.”

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raji revealed in a special statement to Al Jazeera that they had received warnings from Arab and international bodies that Israel was preparing for a large-scale military operation against Lebanon.

Warning against surrender

Hussein Haj Hassan warned the Lebanese government against surrendering to American and Israeli demands, which he said would not stop, which is confirmed – in his opinion – by the Syrian experience, indicating that stripping Lebanon of its weapons will make it unable to defend itself when Israeli aggression returns.

The Lebanese MP described Israel as “an aggressor and unjust state that does not want peace with any party,” stressing that Lebanon adhered to the ceasefire agreement that began implementation on November 27, 2024, while Israel did not adhere to it and is still attacking Lebanon.

Hezbollah’s representative called on Foreign Minister Youssef Raji not to adopt the Israeli and American narrative, noting that “his statements represent the (Lebanese) Forces Party more than the government, and seemed to justify Israel’s continued aggression.”

In the special interview with Al Jazeera, Raji said, “Hezbollah’s weapons have proven ineffective in supporting Gaza and defending the country,” adding that the Lebanese state is negotiating with the party to convince it to surrender its weapons, but it refuses to do so.