Ibrahim Mrad Slams Hezbollah as Arms Debate Divides Lebanon

BEIRUT — Prominent Lebanese political figure Ibrahim Mrad sharply criticized Hezbollah this week, accusing the group of holding the country hostage to foreign agendas and deepening Lebanon’s economic and political collapse. 

In a scathing public statement, Mrad, President of the Universal Syriac Union Party, denounced Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm, calling its arsenal “scrap weapons” that had “brought death, poverty, and humiliation, not dignity or liberation.” He accused the group of turning Lebanon into a pawn for Tehran and blamed it for isolating the country from its Arab and international partners. 

“You are the ones who destroyed the South and all of Lebanon,” Mrad said. “You mortgaged the people as a bargaining chip in Tehran’s hands, rendering the Lebanese and the peoples of your ‘axis’ hungry, displaced, and refugees.” 

His remarks came in direct response to a defiant speech by Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem, who reiterated the group’s determination to retain its arms. “Disarming Hezbollah is an Israeli demand,” Qassem said, warning that U.S. pressure and Lebanese Army confrontation would risk triggering civil war. 

Qassem argued that Hezbollah had met its obligations under the ceasefire agreement and defended its weapons as essential for protecting Lebanon from Israeli aggression and extremist threats. “We will not give up our strength,” he said. “Be patient with the exclusivity of weapons.” 

But Mrad rejected that narrative outright. “Enough with the lies and deception,” he said, questioning the effectiveness of Hezbollah’s arms, which he noted had failed to protect the group’s own leadership from targeted assassinations. 

Amid the intensifying rhetoric, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam attempted to strike a more conciliatory tone. In a television interview, he denied any suggestion that Hezbollah was expected to hand over its weapons to Israel. However, he confirmed that the Lebanese government is working on a roadmap to unify all weapons under state authority — a goal that remains elusive without broader national consensus. 

As Lebanon remains mired in economic turmoil and political fragility, voices like Mrad’s reflect growing public frustration with Hezbollah’s military autonomy and its alignment with Iran. Whether the country can move toward unified arms control without igniting new conflict remains uncertain.