BEIRUT, April 22. /TASS/. The Shiite Hezbollah movement will agree to consider disarming its units only if Israel fulfills specific demands and restores the neighborhoods affected by its aggression, Hassan Fadlallah, a member of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, stated.
"First of all, we demand an end to the attacks on Lebanon that we have witnessed in recent days," the politician said, as quoted by the Asharq al-Awsat newspaper. "Secondly, the occupation must end and Israeli troops must withdraw from Lebanon. Third, we expect all our prisoners captured by the enemy to be released," Fadlallah continued.
As a fourth condition, the MP cited the reconstruction of settlements that suffered property damage during the hostilities. "All the houses destroyed and damaged during the aggression must be rebuilt," Fadlallah emphasized. "When all this is fulfilled, we can start discussing Lebanon's defense doctrine," he added.
On April 20, the republic's President, General Joseph Aoun, stated in his Easter holiday address that he was not in a rush to disarm Hezbollah or exert pressure on the group due to potential negative consequences. "We will implement this as part of the defense doctrine dialogue, but we will have to wait until the situation permits us to do so," Aoun noted. "Right now, no one is talking about timing or pressure," he added.
The president stressed that "internal issues should be approached with prudence and responsibility so as not to lead Lebanon to collapse."
On April 18, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem warned that Shiite fighters would not be disarmed by force and said a conflict between the Lebanese army and resistance groups would not occur.