---
title: "Hezbollah warns Lebanon 'will have no life' if state moves against it"
description: "BEIRUT, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Hezbollah raised the spectre of civil war on Friday with a warning there would be \"no life\" in Lebanon if the government sought to confront or eliminate the Iran-backed group."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-08-15-hezbollah-warns-lebanon-will-have-no-life-if-state-moves-against-it/"
published: "2025-08-15T12:48:04"
updated: "2025-08-15T12:48:06"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 408
---

# Hezbollah warns Lebanon 'will have no life' if state moves against it

> BEIRUT, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Hezbollah raised the spectre of civil war on Friday with a warning there would be "no life" in Lebanon if the government sought to confront or eliminate the Iran-backed group.

By Reuters · Published 15 August 2025, 14:48 SAST · Updated 15 August 2025, 14:48 SAST

## Key points
- As Lebanon's government tries to rein in Hezbollah's arsenal under U.S. pressure, the militant group insists it won't disarm until Israel stops its strikes—prompting a tense standoff that could turn Lebanon's streets into a battleground once more, all while the leaders talk of dialogue like it's a peace summit in a rom-com.
- The Lebanese government aims to control arms in line with a U.S.-backed initiative post-Israel's military actions against Hezbollah.
- Hezbollah refuses to disarm, insisting it will only do so after Israel ends its strikes and occupation in southern Lebanon.
- Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem warns of civil unrest if the government continues to enforce disarmament, while leaving room for dialogue.
- The group, despite losing significant leadership and fighters, retains political influence but faces increasing calls for disarmament from the broader Lebanese society.

## Content

By Maya Gebeily and Jana Choukeir

The government wants to [control arms](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N3TX0OK&linkedFromStory=true) in line with a U.S.-backed plan following Israel's military campaign against Hezbollah which was founded four decades ago with the backing of Tehran's Revolutionary Guards.

But the group is resisting pressure to disarm, saying that cannot happen until Israel ends its strikes and occupation of a southern strip of Lebanon that had been a Hezbollah stronghold.

"This is our nation together. We live in dignity together, and we build its sovereignty together - or Lebanon will have no life if you stand on the other side and try to confront us and eliminate us," its leader Naim Qassem said in a televised speech.

Israel has dealt Hezbollah heavy blows in the last two years, killing many of its top brass including former leader Hassan Nasrallah and 5,000 of its fighters, and destroying much of its arsenal.

The Lebanese cabinet last week tasked the army with confining weapons only to state security forces, a move that has [outraged Hezbollah](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AS8N3TB05O&linkedFromStory=true).

Qassem accused the government of implementing an "American-Israeli order to eliminate the resistance, even if that leads to civil war and internal strife."

DIALOGUE POSSIBLE

However, he said Hezbollah and the Amal movement, its Shi'ite Muslim ally, had decided to delay any street protests while there was still scope for talks.

"There is still room for discussion, for adjustments, and for a political resolution before the situation escalates to a confrontation no one wants," Qassem said.

"But if it is imposed on us, we are ready, and we have no other choice ... At that point, there will be a protest in the street, all across Lebanon, that will reach the American embassy."

The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, which left parts of Lebanon in ruins, erupted in October 2023 when the group opened fire at Israeli positions along the southern border in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas at the start of the [Gaza war](https://www.reuters.com/world/israel-hamas/).

Hezbollah and Amal still retain influence politically, appointing Shi'ite ministers to cabinet and holding the Shi'ite seats in parliament. But for the first time in years, they do not hold a "blocking third" of cabinet, enabling them to veto government decisions in the past.

Hezbollah retains strong support among the Shi'ite community in Lebanon, but calls for its disarmament across the rest of society have grown.

(Reporting by Maya Gebeily and Jana Choukeir; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Andrew Cawthorne)