Beirut, March 2, (dpa/GNA) – The Lebanese government has declared Hezbollah’s “military activities” illegal, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Monday.
The Cabinet decided to “outlaw all of Hezbollah’s security and military activities,” Salam said in a televised address.
The Shiite militant and political organization wields far-reaching influence in Lebanon, including representation in parliament and providing social services.
The militia also uses Lebanon as a base for launching attacks against Israel, often with the support of Iran.
Monday’s decision follows renewed military clashes between Israel and Hezbollah.
In response to the killing of Iran’s supreme leader ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday during a joint US-Israeli attack, Hezbollah fired several rockets at Israel overnight.
That attack has triggered retaliatory strikes by Israel that has left at least 31 dead in Lebanon. The Israeli military attacked multiple targets including in the suburbs of the capital, Beirut.
Hezbollah is Iran’s most important non-state ally, and is often viewed as Tehran’s long arm in its confrontation with Israel.
In solidarity with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah fired rockets toward Israel as early as October 2023. This escalated into months of mutual shelling, which finally erupted into open conflict in late 2024.
Hezbollah has been significantly weakened ever since. As part of a ceasefire agreement, Hezbollah was supposed to disarm.
The Lebanese state has since been under pressure to enforce Hezbollah’s disarmament. Despite the ceasefire, Israel continues to strike Hezbollah targets in Lebanon almost daily.
This is the first time since the start of a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel in November 2024 that the Shiite militia has attacked Israel with rockets.
Hezbollah has long been tolerated by parts of the Lebanese population as a resistance group against Israel in the country. The Shiites, for example, see it as a protective force. It was the only group that retained its weapons after the Lebanese civil war.
With regard to the recent Hezbollah shelling of Israel, Prime Minister Salam emphasized that rocket attacks from Lebanese territory constitute a violation of ceasefire agreements and government decisions.
“The state firmly rejects any military action originating from its territory,” he said. The decision regarding “war and peace” rests solely with the state.
Dozens of people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, local authorities said on Monday.
The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that at least 31 people were killed and 149 others injured in preliminary figures from the southern suburbs of Beirut and southern regions of the country.
The ministry described the figures as preliminary, cautioning that the death toll may rise as rescue teams continue search operations and hospitals complete their assessments of the injured.
GNA