Lebanese Kataeb Party leader Gemayel on Tuesday criticized recent remarks by Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem regarding the group’s weapons, accusing Hezbollah of using its arsenal to intimidate Lebanese citizens and influence the country’s political life.

“If the weapons no longer threaten the northern settlements and have nothing to do with the area south of the Litani River, according to Sheikh Naim’s latest remarks, then they are clearly meant to intimidate the Lebanese people, pressure state institutions, and influence elections,” Gemayel wrote on X. 

Gemayel’s statement came in response to comments by Qassem, who had said that Hezbollah’s weapons are not currently aimed at Israel’s northern settlements and are unrelated to areas south of the Litani River; a reference to the boundary set by UN Security Council Resolution 1701.