Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said Friday that the United States is pressuring Lebanon to accept a new agreement with Israel that would begin with Hezbollah's disarmament in exchange for a partial Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon. In a televised speech aired by Hezbollah's Al-Manar channel during a ceremony honoring slain commander Ali Karaki, Qassem warned that disarmament would amount to facilitating Israeli expansion. "We fully implemented the ceasefire agreement in southern Lebanon, south of the Litani River," he said. "Now the U.S. wants a new deal starting with disarming us for a partial withdrawal by Israel." Qassem reiterated Hezbollah's refusal to respond to any calls to hand over its weapons unless Israeli aggression on Lebanon stops. The remarks come ahead of a scheduled visit by U.S. Special Envoy Tom Barrack to Beirut next week. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam confirmed the visit Friday, saying that the Lebanese government had reviewed and commented on a U.S. proposal Barrack submitted via President Joseph Aoun. According to Salam, the American paper proposes a phased process tied to key elements: a complete Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory, extension of Lebanese state authority across the entire country, and exclusive control of weapons by the state. "The proposal includes ideas related to arrangements for the cessation of hostilities, and we have conveyed our observations," Salam said in comments reported by the National News Agency. He emphasized transparency, stating, "We do not work in black rooms," without disclosing the full content of Lebanon's feedback. A Lebanese official earlier told Anadolu Agency that Barrack's proposal, submitted June 19, links Hezbollah's disarmament and state monopoly over weapons to Israel's withdrawal from five remaining positions in southern Lebanon. It also includes provisions for releasing funds to rebuild war-damaged areas and implementing reforms in border control, smuggling prevention, customs collection, and public facility oversight. Hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces erupted into full-scale warfare last September, despite a ceasefire agreement brokered in November. Israeli strikes have continued in southern Lebanon, with Tel Aviv citing Hezbollah activities as justification. Lebanese authorities have documented nearly 3,000 Israeli violations of the ceasefire, with more than 250 deaths and over 560 injuries reported since the truce began. Israel was supposed to fully withdraw by Jan. 26 but extended the deadline to Feb. 18, refusing to vacate five military outposts along the border. — Agencies
