Hezbollah refuses to hand over its weapons to Lebanese government

Hezbollah's Naim Qassem rejected Lebanon's decision to disarm the Iran-backed militant group, calling it a US-Israeli order and warning of a major crisis, Euronews reported.

The Lebanese Council of Ministers approved a decision last week requiring the army to urgently develop a disarmament plan and implement it before year-end.

"The decision is dangerous and exposes the country to a major crisis," Qassem said during a televised speech in Baalbek. "It strips the resistance and Lebanon of defensive weapons during aggression."

Qassem vowed Hezbollah would not surrender its weapons and warned of armed conflict, if not outright war.