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Lebanese MP Rifi warns of street mobilization against Hezbollah
The political landscape in Lebanon is once again heating up as Sunni MP Achraf Rifi from Tripoli issued a sharp warning against Hezbollah. In a televised interview with MTV, Rifi declared that he and his supporters were prepared to take to the streets if the Shiite movement attempted to impose its will internally.
“I warn Naïm Qassem against a reckless choice for which he will pay the price. We will face you in the streets if we must defend ourselves, and we are capable of doing so,” Rifi said. He also called on Lebanese authorities to sever ties with Iran, accusing Tehran of fueling instability through Hezbollah.
His comments came shortly after Hezbollah’s deputy secretary-general, Naïm Qassem, threatened the government of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and the presidency of General Joseph Aoun, stating that the group would resist any attempt to impose disarmament. Qassem’s remarks triggered widespread criticism from across Lebanon’s political spectrum.
Attempting to ease tensions, Hezbollah official Mahmoud Comati later insisted that the party was “not engaged in an internal Lebanese confrontation,” but stressed that “the weapons of the resistance cannot be surrendered under occupation.”
The confrontation comes as the Salam government approved earlier this month a U.S.-brokered roadmap led by envoy Tom Barrack, which envisions the disarmament of armed groups, including Hezbollah, by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the Israeli army continues to occupy five hills in southern Lebanon and carries out near-daily airstrikes, despite a ceasefire reached in November 2024 between Israel and Hezbollah.
The standoff highlights Lebanon’s fragile political balance, with growing concerns that internal divisions could spill into street unrest at a time when the country is already reeling from economic and social crises.