Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said that any move to disarm the group would amount to 'annihilation' as Lebanon prepares for a new round of direct talks with Israel in Washington next month.

In a televised address, Qassem argued that removing Hezbollah's weapons would strip Lebanon of its defensive capabilities and leave the country vulnerable. He said that disarmament would eliminate what he described as the resistance's ability to protect the Lebanese people.

Qassem also rejected calls from Lebanese authorities for the state to hold a monopoly on weapons, claiming that such efforts at this stage were intended to target Hezbollah and aligned with Israeli interests.