Sheikh Naim Qassem, in a speech on Sunday marking Liberation and Resistance Day, praised Iran as an "exceptional power" destined to achieve an international stature that will attract freedom-seeking people from around the world.
"Iran alone stands against the world's tyrannical and great power," the leader of the Lebanese resistance movement said, adding that under the leadership of Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran has managed to humiliate both Washington and Tel Aviv.
The Hezbollah chief said the Islamic Republic will emerge triumphant in this war imposed by the US-Israeli war coalition.
"Iran will come out proud," he stated, adding that the nation is poised to become an exceptional power with international standing, a sanctuary for the free world.
Sheikh Qassem also referred to the situation in Lebanon, saying that accepting calls from the US and its allies for Hezbollah to disarm would be tantamount to the annihilation of the group and Lebanon's defenses.
"Disarming the resistance would, in fact, strip Lebanon of its defensive capability and serve as a prelude to annihilation, something we will never accept," he said.
The cleric further criticized the Lebanese government for its weakness in dealing with the Israeli regime and its backers, saying the government is incapable of confronting the aggressors.
"We do not ask the government to confront the American-Israeli project, but at the very least, it should not serve as a tool to facilitate it. The Lebanese government must not stand against its own people, nor align its political objectives with Israel," said Sheikh Qassem.
He said that some people within the Lebanese government who have asked Hezbollah to lay down its weapons should know that such a move would enable Israel" to enter the country and massacre and displace its people."
The comments come as the pro-Western government of Lebanon has made efforts to force Hezbollah to relinquish its arms in what many believe is a move to appease the US.
The calls for Hezbollah's disarmament have come as part of a so-called peace process between the Israeli regime and Lebanon that began in November 2024 under a ceasefire intended to end Israeli attacks on the Arab country and allow Hezbollah to stop its retaliation.
Sheikh Qassem said, however, that the Israeli regime has continued to constantly violate the terms of the ceasefire reached nearly two years ago by launching repeated attacks on Lebanon, adding that the Lebanese government has been unable to enforce that agreement.
The Hezbollah chief further called on the government in Beirut to abandon direct negotiations with the Israeli regime, saying the only outcome of such talks would be to protect the pure interests of the Israeli regime.