Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has said the armed Lebanese group will not give up its weapons, one year after Israel killed his predecessor , Hassan Nasrallah, in an air attack on southern Beirut.

Speaking on Saturday to the thousands who had gathered at Nasrallah’s tomb in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, Qassem promised to maintain Hezbollah’s military capabilities, which have been significantly weakened by its recent war with Israel.

“We will never abandon our weapons, nor will we relinquish them,” he said, adding that Hezbollah would continue to “confront any project that serves Israel”.

His comments come after the new Lebanese government publicly committed to disarming the Iran-backed group.

In the run-up to the first anniversary of his charismatic predecessor’s death, tensions soared

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