Lebanese Prime Minister Issues Negative Response to Hezbollah Secretary-General’s Remarks
According to the English section of webangah News Agency, citing mehr News Agency and Al Jazeera, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned remarks by Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem as a veiled threat of civil war in Lebanon.
Salam dismissed these statements while ignoring his government’s conduct; rather of confronting Israeli aggression against Lebanon, his administration has, under U.S. pressure, called for disarming the resistance. He insisted that no one in Lebanon seeks civil war.
he called claims that the lebanese government is implementing an American-Zionist agenda “unacceptable.”
The Prime Minister added that no party outside state authority is permitted to bear arms in Lebanon. He stressed that no one wants Hezbollah’s weapons to fall into Israeli hands but argued those arms should be transferred to the army, whose patriotism he saeid is beyond doubt.
However, Salam did not address public doubts regarding why neither the government nor Lebanese military has taken serious action against repeated Israeli violations since the ceasefire months ago.
In today’s remarks directed at the Lebanese government, Sheikh Naim Qassem said: “If you feel powerless, leave it to us to confront the enemy. Just as israel’s successive wars have failed before, this time they will fail again. The government’s duty is to build the country-not hand it over to Israel and America.”
Sheikh Qassem emphasized: “Those who talk about monopoly on weapons-have you not seen how Israel’s Chief of Staff congratulated his forces here for this occupation? Have you not heard Netanyahu speak about ‘Greater Israel’? The government has made a risky decision and exposed the country to a major crisis.”
