File photo shows Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem delivers a speech from an undisclosed location. AFP
Washington is pushing to cut off Hezbollah's funding sources while also pressing the Lebanese government to disarm the armed Islamist group.
Hezbollah was greatly weakened in its most recent war with Israel, which ended in a November 2024 ceasefire, but Israeli strikes have continued.
"America... is putting pressure on the government to make concessions without any reciprocal commitments or guarantees... and wants to give Israel free rein," Qassem said, on Hezbollah's al-Manar television.
"The government's role is not to listen to American diktats and begin implementing them."
A delegation from the US Treasury, which met with Lebanese officials on Sunday and Monday, urged them to take action to halt Iranian funding of Hezbollah.
The US administration is very serious about cutting off Iran's funding to Hezbollah, deputy director for counter-terrorism John Hurley told journalists on Monday.
According to the US Treasury, Iran has transferred more than a billion dollars to the group since January.
A Lebanese official who requested anonymity to speak freely told AFP that the US delegation delivered a "clear and firm" message on the need to actively fight against Hezbollah's funding sources.
Hezbollah emerged from the last war with Israel without Qassem's predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated.
Hezbollah's grip on Lebanese politics has since weakened, but it refuses to hand over its weapons to the Lebanese army.
"We will not give up our weapons, which give us strength and determination," the Hezbollah chief reiterated on Tuesday.
Last week, Hezbollah leader said, “We reaffirm our legitimate right to resist occupation and aggression and to stand alongside our army and our people to protect the sovereignty of our country.”
He also criticized the Lebanese government’s decision to limit weapons to the state, calling the move hasty and a grave mistake.
“The issue of exclusive weapons is not discussed in response to a foreign request or Israeli blackmail, but is addressed within a national framework where a comprehensive strategy for security, defence, and protection of national sovereignty is agreed upon,” it said.
The group added that all Lebanese should be aware that “the Israeli enemy does not target Hezbollah alone, but targets Lebanon in all its components, and seeks to strip Lebanon of any ability to reject the extortionist demands of the Zionist entity.”
* This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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