Pressure is mounting in Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah.

This demand is being raised at a time when the Lebanese Army offers virtually no response to Israel’s daily ceasefire violations.

While many of Hezbollah’s opponents insist that the root of Lebanon’s problems lies in the weapons of the resistance, more realistic analysts point public memory back to a historic meeting between Saad Hariri and the Leader of Iran.

At that time, Hariri was also seeking the disarmament of Hezbollah.

During the discussion, Ayatollah Khamenei put aside diplomatic language and delivered an unexpected message by referencing Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

He retold the story of Esmeralda, the beautiful young woman pursued by the powerful and wealthy men of Paris.

To protect herself from their advances and attacks, she kept a sharp dagger close by — a dagger that inflicted decisive, disabling wounds.

Ayatollah Khamenei concluded by saying that Lebanon is the “bride of the Mediterranean,” a beautiful country coveted by many.

And Hezbollah’s weapons, he said, are like Esmeralda’s dagger: the only thing that keeps this beautiful nation safe.

Most Lebanese may never have heard this anecdote, but they know one truth very well: the weapons of the resistance remain their only real shield against the brutal assaults of their enemies.