Hezbollah issued a sharp rebuke Wednesday afternoon in response to the Lebanese government's reported intention to disarm the group, following a dramatic cabinet session held on Tuesday. “We will act as if the decision does not exist,” the group declared, calling the move “a gift to Israel that leaves Lebanon exposed to the Israeli enemy with no deterrence.”

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, alongside Prime Minister Najib Mikati, is advancing a proposal to consolidate all weapons under the authority of the Lebanese state — a move that would effectively require Hezbollah to relinquish its arsenal. The initiative comes in the context of a proposed ceasefire agreement with Israel, under which the Lebanese Armed Forces would be deployed to enforce a ban on Hezbollah's presence south of the Litani River. The current debate now centers on what will happen to the group’s arsenal north of the river, where Hezbollah maintains significant military infrastructure.

Lebanon’s cabinet meeting, which lasted several hours on Monday, ended without a final decision — with Prime Minister Najib Mikati announcing that the session would resume on Thursday. Mikati stated that the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) had been tasked with drafting an implementation plan to address the issue of weapons monopoly in the country, to be submitted to the cabinet no later than the 31st of the month.

The announcement triggered an immediate and furious response from Hezbollah. “Prime Minister Najib Mikati has committed a grave sin by agreeing to strip Lebanon of its weapons against the Israeli enemy,” the group declared Tuesday afternoon. “This will weaken Lebanon’s strength and standing in the face of continued Israeli-American aggression.”