Hezbollah refuses disarmament and vows to keep fighting Israel
Updated
Updated · The Wall Street Journal · May 1
Hezbollah refuses disarmament and vows to keep fighting Israel
12 articles · Updated · The Wall Street Journal · May 1
In Beirut, spokesman Youssef al-Zein said the group would not disarm until Israeli troops fully leave southern Lebanon and said it had rebuilt capabilities after heavy losses in 2024.
He said Hezbollah has cooperated with dismantling positions near the border but is rearming elsewhere, including with small fiber-optic-guided explosive drones, despite domestic pressure and legal restrictions in Lebanon.
The stance dims hopes that a fragile Israel-Lebanon ceasefire will become lasting peace, as Washington pushes talks while many Lebanese fear any army move to disarm Hezbollah could trigger civil conflict.
If the Lebanese army is unwilling to confront Hezbollah, who or what could actually enforce the government's disarmament orders?
With Hezbollah refusing to disarm and Israel expanding its buffer zone, what are the real chances of avoiding another devastating civil war in Lebanon?
How could Iran's leadership crisis and Hezbollah's new drone tactics reshape the balance of power along the Israeli-Lebanese border?
Hezbollah's 2026 Refusal to Disarm Fuels Deadly Lebanon-Israel Conflict and Regional Instability
Overview
In 2026, Hezbollah's refusal to disarm, rooted in its vow to retaliate for Iran's Supreme Leader's assassination and supported by Iran's backing, reignited hostilities with Israel. This led to repeated attacks by Hezbollah and Israeli airstrikes targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, including the discovery of hidden weapons caches. Facing supply shortages, Hezbollah advanced drone technology to maintain its military pressure, prompting Israel to adapt with targeted operations that caused significant civilian casualties and displacement in southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, Lebanon's government struggles to enforce disarmament due to political divisions and limited military capacity, deepening the cycle of violence and complicating fragile ceasefire efforts amid regional tensions and international diplomatic deadlock.