Naim Qassem

Under phase 1 of the plan, the Lebanese government would issue a decision committing to Hezbollah's disarmament by the end of the year, and Israel would cease military operations in Lebanon.

This comes after President Joseph Aoun told a senior Iranian official on Tuesday that no group in Lebanon is permitted to bear arms or rely on foreign backing.

Hezbollah’s legitimacy, even within its core constituency, has been damaged by its loss of charismatic leadership and its degraded military position.

Earlier, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem threatened Israel directly for the first time in months in a televised speech on Tuesday.

Sheik Naim Qassem, Hezbollah's secretary-general, gave a speech where he rejected the idea of "giving up weapons" and assured that the war could be restarted in any moment.

Qassem stated that Iran’s nuclear program and uranium enrichment efforts were intended for “peaceful purposes, which it seeks to serve and advance its people.”

Qassem accused Israel of breaking its ceasefire agreement with Lebanon more than 3000 times.

Lebanon expert Dr. Moshe Elad emphasizes that Hezbollah remains a major force in Lebanon, despite the blow it suffered from Israel.

Hezbollah’s Naim Qassem says Israel violated the truce and warns that united resistance across the region will stop it from achieving through politics what it failed to in war.

Qassem claimed that at the time of the ceasefire's announcement in late November, Hezbollah still had significant military capabilities.