Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said electoral setbacks for US Republicans and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could benefit Lebanon, arguing that the results strengthened the case for resisting Washington’s pressure on his group to surrender its weapons.
Speaking by video link on Wednesday at an event honouring Hezbollah members killed by Israel and their families, Qassem characterised last week’s US midterm elections as an “earthquake”. He also described the Israeli election as a defeat for Netanyahu, whose bloc failed to secure the 61 seats required to remain in power following the October 27 vote.
Qassem called on Lebanese people to work together to rebuild the country and defend its sovereignty. His remarks came amid a continuing confrontation between Iran-backed Hezbollah and US-backed Lebanese President Joseph Aoun over the group’s arsenal. Washington wants Hezbollah to disarm, while the group maintains that doing so would amount to surrendering to Israel.
The Hezbollah leader again rejected handing over the group’s weapons, pointing to Israel’s continuing military occupation of parts of southern Lebanon. He said that while the occupation persisted, Hezbollah would accept neither exclusive state control over its arms nor measures to regulate, prohibit or dismantle its arsenal. Qassem took over the leadership after Israel assassinated Hassan Nasrallah and his successor, Hashem Safieddine, in 2024.
The dispute over disarmament comes against the backdrop of months of war that began with surprise US and Israeli attacks on Iran in February. Those attacks killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Hezbollah responded by launching missiles and drones at Israel, followed by weeks of heavy Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon. Lebanese authorities say more than 4,300 people were killed, while the United Nations estimates that around a million people were displaced.
Qassem praised Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which disrupted shipping routes and drove up global oil prices. He argued that the move would diminish US and Israeli influence across the region. US President Donald Trump has acknowledged that the Iran war and the resulting rise in fuel prices contributed to Republican losses in last week’s elections. Vice President JD Vance, a likely contender in the 2028 election, also attributed the party’s defeat to the war.
Qassem urged Lebanese authorities to concentrate on domestic matters and cautioned them against entering agreements or making commitments that he said would advance Israeli objectives. His remarks reinforced Hezbollah’s opposition to disarmament as Israeli forces retain control of extensive areas in the south.
Israel has devastated dozens of the approximately 60 southern Lebanese towns and villages it occupies. Despite a ceasefire negotiated between Israel and Lebanon through US mediation in June, Israeli bombing of southern Lebanon has continued.
