Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Sunday accused political opponents of exploiting Israel’s war on Lebanon to push for foreign-backed projects, warning that “satanic minds” were more dangerous to the country than Hezbollah’s weapons.

In an address marking the 47th anniversary of the disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr and his two companions, Berri said systematic campaigns of “political bullying, insults, demonization and degradation” against a founding sect of Lebanon’s political system were led by the same figures before and during the Israeli offensive, and continued today.

“They bet on the aggression and its results, hoping it would change the balance of power and revive old projects, even if carried on the back of an Israeli tank,” he said.

Berri, who leads the Amal movement allied with Hezbollah, said the Shiite group’s arsenal was “a source of pride and honor” but reiterated he was open to a calm and consensual dialogue over its future. Such talks, he stressed, must be conducted strictly “under the ceiling of the constitution, the presidential oath, the ministerial statement, the laws and international covenants,” and should aim to establish a national security strategy that protects Lebanon, liberates its land and safeguards its internationally recognized borders. He underlined that this could never take place “under threats, under violation of the national pact and desecration of the constitution, nor by bypassing the ministerial statement and what was pledged in the presidential oath, nor by toppling the ceasefire agreement, which is the executive framework of U.N. Resolution 1701.”

He said Lebanon had fully implemented the November ceasefire agreement, citing U.N. peacekeeping reports, while Israel had refused to withdraw from occupied territory, stepped up assassinations and killings, and barred residents of more than 30 villages from returning.

Berri warned that surrendering to “hatred and the haters” would blind Lebanon to its true enemy. He dismissed criticism of Hezbollah’s allies in the government, saying their stance in cabinet sessions earlier this month was “a purely national position, not sectarian.”

The speaker rejected attempts to place the question of disarmament in the hands of the Lebanese army, which he described as “the nation’s shield.” He said U.S. proposals went beyond the principle of confining arms and risked becoming an alternative to the November ceasefire deal.

Berri criticized the government’s disarmament move, which is based on a U.S. proposal.

“What is proposed in the American paper goes beyond the principle of (a state) weapons monopoly, and rather appears as an alternative to the November ceasefire agreement,” he stated.

Turning to Israel, Berri pointed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent remarks about pursuing a “Greater Israel,” and the Israeli army chief’s visit to the border.

“Did you see the blue map he held? Lebanon in its entirety was part of that promised dream,” he said.

Berri urged national unity to confront such threats, recalling how political forces had previously cooperated to elect a president, form a government, and pass reforms ranging from judicial independence to banking restructuring. He pressed the cabinet to move ahead with a “financial gap law” to map out the return of depositors’ funds.

“Only in this spirit, rooted in the constitution and national responsibility, without compromising on fundamentals, can we protect Lebanon, avert sedition, rebuild it and preserve it as a final homeland for all its people,” he said.