Qassem vows Hezbollah will not give up weapons

Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem said the group will not give up its weapons and that disarming it would be like “taking its soul out”. “You will face our wrath if you proceed,” he warned in a televised speech. Lebanon must first compel Israel to withdraw and halt its attacks before discussing a defence strategy, he added. Hezbollah has repeatedly said it will not accept a disarmament plan until Israel withdraws from the five points it occupies in south Lebanon.