[News] Lebanon’s ‘illegitimate’ decision to disarm Hezbollah amounts to ‘high treason’

[Anti-Imperialist News]

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<https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/08/11/752885/lebanon-illegitimate-decision-disarm-hezbollah-amounts-treason-lawyer> 



  Lebanon’s ‘illegitimate’ decision to disarm Hezbollah amounts to ‘high
  treason’: Lawyer

Presstv
August 11, 2025
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*By Sally Ahmed*

*The recent decision by the Lebanese government to disarm the Hezbollah 
resistance movement is “illegitimate” and amounts to “high treason” as 
it serves the interests of the Israeli enemy, according to a Lebanese 
lawyer.*

In an interview with the /Press TV website/, Qassem Hadraj, a lawyer and 
expert in international relations, said the Lebanese government’s 
decision “lacks legitimacy in both form and content".

On Tuesday, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam tasked the country’s 
army to develop a plan to restrict weapons to the state by the end of 
the year, a decision that aims at disarming the Hezbollah resistance 
movement that has for decades defended the country from external 
aggression, especially from the Israeli enemy.

Two days later, during a cabinet meeting, the Lebanese government 
officials further discussed the US proposal aimed at disarming Hezbollah 
and endorsed its “objectives”.

In terms of form, Hadraj said the decision to disarm Hezbollah 
constitutes “a blatant violation of the pact of mutual coexistence”, as 
it was issued in the absence of Hezbollah and Amal ministers from the 
Shia community, who represent one of the main components of the Lebanese 
society and politics.

Noting that the Lebanese constitution states that there is no legitimacy 
for any authority that contradicts the pact of mutual coexistence, 
Hadraj said the move is deemed “non-existent."

Referring to Article 65 of Lebanon’s Constitution, which assigns 
executive authority to the cabinet as a whole, Hadraj reiterated that 
the decision lacks legitimacy because four Shia ministers walked out of 
the August 7 government meeting in protest against the US-proposed plan 
to disarm Hezbollah, while the fifth minister objected to it.

In terms of content, Hadraj, who is also chairman of the Human Rights 
and Media Committee of the World Union Organization for Arabic Press, 
said the plan is not implementable, due to Hezbollah’s objections, and 
because the army lacks the necessary information about the types of 
weapons and their locations, as well as the capabilities and expertise 
to deal with them.

“It is self-evident that any decision taken by the executive authority 
is supposed to be implementable and take into account the circumstances, 
timing and priorities, which are absent in the government decision,” he 
noted.

Hezbollah has condemned the government’s decision to disarm it as a 
“grave sin,” warning that such a move would weaken the country against 
Israeli aggression. The popular resistance group declared it would 
ignore the decision entirely, treating it “as if it did not exist."

Noting that the decision to restrict arms directed towards the enemy 
came while the state is unable to confront the Israeli regime’s 
relentless attacks, the legal expert stressed that the decision amounts 
to “high treason, as it serves the interest of the enemy.”

“Therefore, the army can’t execute an order by the political authority 
that contradicts its military oath and serve the enemy of its homeland,” 
he stressed.

Decrying the decision as “constitutionally, nationally, and morally 
invalid,” Hadraj said it also contradicts the principles established by 
the president’s oath of office and the government’s ministerial 
statement, and constitutes “a coup by the authority against itself and 
against the Taif Agreement", negotiated in Saudi Arabia’s Taif in 1989, 
which ended the civil war in Lebanon.

*‘Catastrophic repercussions’*

Hadraj also warned that this decision could have “catastrophic 
repercussions” for Lebanon, as it has split the Lebanese people between 
opponents and supporters.

However, he stressed that Hezbollah is trying to contain the anger of 
the people who see this decision as directly targeting “their security 
and existence”, while keeping doors open for political efforts to 
mitigate the dangers of this situation.

If not addressed quickly, Hadraj warned, this decision will “achieve for 
the enemy what it has dreamed of for years.”

The counsel pointed out that this decision could lead to one of these 
three potential outcomes: either a clash between the army and the 
resistance, or Sunni-Shia strife, or a civil war, calling on the 
government to reject foreign dictates.

“Therefore, any other repercussions should Lebanon refuse to implement 
the [US] dictates will be more nationalistic and less dangerous to 
Lebanon's existence as a unified state and an independent entity,” he 
emphasized.

His remarks came as supporters of the Lebanese resistance took to the 
streets in several cities across the country this week to protest the 
government’s controversial decision to implement the US proposal aimed 
at stripping Hezbollah of its weapons.

*‘US ignored Lebanon’s amendments’*

Hadraj noted that the new US proposal approved on Thursday has ignored 
the Lebanese amendments to the initial proposal and treated them “as if 
they did not exist.”

He added that the new document even contains “more submissive and 
surrendering conditions” than the previous one.

“The government's approval of it is tantamount to signing an 
unconditional surrender instrument that contradicts the national 
interest,” Hadraj asserted.

“This is considered a public acknowledgment of the Lebanese authority's 
inability” to withstand American and Israeli pressures, he noted, adding 
that the “stillborn” decisions of August 5 and 7 were made under 
coercion and under the threat of annexing Lebanon to Syria, along with 
threats of economic sanctions and a blockade

Hadraj stated that the government should have resigned instead of 
endorsing this proposal and “legitimizing the Israeli occupation and 
American guardianship”.

“This is considered high treason against Lebanon and necessitates the 
prosecution of every individual complicit in this decision,” he stressed.

Pointing out that the US confirmed the weapons of the anti-Israel 
resistance movement should be either seized or destroyed, Hadraj stated 
that this restricts the role of the Lebanese army to that of “a border 
guard for the Israeli enemy”.

“Consequently, the decisions of the illegitimate government include an 
explicit concession of the army's role in confronting aggression and 
liberating the land, restricting it to executing the political orders 
dictated to the Lebanese authority, all of which serve the interests of 
the enemy,” he stated.

The army will not abide by these orders to preserve its dignity and its 
role in maintaining civil peace and to avoid the “disastrous 
repercussions” that would inevitably lead to a division within the 
military institution itself, Hadraj said.

The counsel also ruled out the possibility of Hezbollah disarmament, 
saying “everyone is aware that if all the forces in the world united to 
disarm the resistance, they wouldn’t succeed.”

He reaffirmed that the two decisions are just aimed at creating “an 
internal rift and strife” that could lead to a civil war.

However, Hadraj stressed that the resistance is expected to direct its 
efforts against the Israeli enemy and continue to fulfill its mission of 
defending the country and its people because this will be “more 
honorable and less costly” than any internal conflict.

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