Hezbollah chief says ‘no life’ in Lebanon if government confronts group

BEIRUT (Reuters) -Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem warned the Lebanese government on Friday against confronting the Iran-backed militant group, saying there would be “no life” in Lebanon in that event.

Qassem said Hezbollah and the Amal movement, its Shi’ite Muslim ally, had decided to delay any street protests against a U.S.-backed disarmament plan as they still see room for dialogue with the Lebanese government. But he said any future protests could reach the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon.

(Reporting by Maya Gebeily and Jana Choukeir; editing by Mark Heinrich)