Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem stated that the resistance movement is the result and achievement of all honorable national resistance fighters and liberation efforts, as well as the significant role played by Imam Sayyed Musa al-Sadr. He emphasized that victory was achieved through the cooperation between the Lebanese Army, the people, and the resistance, noting that the harmony between the state and the resistance constituted an important and influential factor in accomplishing liberation. He stressed that disarming the resistance would mean stripping Lebanon of its defensive capability in preparation for extermination.

In a televised speech broadcast on Al-Manar TV on Sunday afternoon on the occasion of Resistance and Liberation Day, Sheikh Qassem began by congratulating Muslims on the approaching Eid al-Adha holiday. He described the occasion as a celebration for free people around the world and as a celebration for Palestine. He also recalled the role of former Lebanese President Emile Lahoud and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, whom he described as protectors of the liberation process.

Sheikh Qassem pointed out that during the 15 years of occupation and the establishment of what was then known as the “South Lebanon Army,” the enemy had sought to fulfill its ambitions in Lebanon. However, he said that resistance operations forced the enemy forces to withdraw from the border region in 2000.

The Hezbollah leader also addressed the “May 17 Agreement” of 1983, describing it as humiliating. He noted that the agreement was never implemented and was ultimately overturned in 1984, as a step on the road toward the liberation achieved in 2000.

Qassem further stated that on November 24, 2024, the Lebanese state reached an indirect agreement that was supposed to end the occupation and halt attacks. However, during the 15 months following the agreement, Israeli attacks continued while the Lebanese state remained unable to enforce its implementation.

He added, “We understand the weakness of the Lebanese state, but it should tell the Americans that it is incapable,” pointing out the Lebanese government's successive concessions that eventually led, on March 2, 2026, to the criminalization of the resistance.

He also stated, “We do not demand that the Lebanese state confront the American-Israeli project, but the Lebanese state should not stand against its own people.” He argued that Israel’s project is aimed at eliminating the resistance and gradually occupying Lebanon as part of that broader objective.

Sheikh Qassem concluded by calling on the Lebanese government to reverse its decision to limit weapons exclusively to state control, urging it instead to stand alongside its people.