BEIRUT, May 24. /TASS/. Hezbollah will retain the weapons it needs to defend Lebanon and its people against the Israeli aggression, the Shiite group’s secretary-general, Naim Qassem, said.
"The Islamic resistance’s drones are pursuing the occupying forces everywhere; Israel is suffering casualties and, in response, is killing civilians and destroying residential buildings," he said in an address to his supporters that was aired by the Al Mayadeen television channel. "What is now happening in southern Lebanon signals the beginning of the decline of Israel’s might."
He called on Israel to stop its aggression, withdraw its troops, and release prisoners. Apart from that, he urged the Lebanese government to revoke its March 2 decision outlawing Hezbollah.
"The disarmament of resistance forces is an Israeli project. You must reject it, halt direct talks with Israel, and return to the national consensus," he stressed, adding that if the Lebanese government "is unable to ensure Lebanon’s sovereignty, it must resign.".