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Lebanon’s government has tasked the army with developing a plan in which only state institutions will have weapons by the end of the year.
Such a move would effectively disarm Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Shiite political party and militant group in Lebanon.
Tuesday’s Cabinet decision follows heavy pressure from the United States to disarm the group.
It comes as part of implementing a November 2024 ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, including two months of all-out war.
Under the ceasefire, Lebanese government authorities, including the army and internal security services, should be the only armed forces in Lebanon.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the government “tasked the Lebanese army with setting an implementation plan to restrict weapons” to the army and other state forces “before the end of this year.”
The plan is to be presented to the Cabinet by the end of August for discussion and approval, Salam told a press conference after a marathon Cabinet session lasting nearly six hours.
Why does Hezbollah have so many weapons?
Hezbollah is a political party and militant group based in Lebanon that is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and others.
The group is the only faction that kept its weapons after Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war, doing so in the name of “resistance” against Israel.
It was long Lebanon’s strongest military force — even more powerful than the army — thanks to funding, training and weapons from Iran. It was viewed as the most heavily armed nonstate actor in the world.
But the war with Israel saw Hezbollah severely weakened, with its arsenal pummeled and many of its political and military leaders dead.
Will Hezbollah agree to disarm?
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said on Tuesday that the group wouldn’t disarm while Israeli attacks continue.
“Any timetable presented for implementation under … Israeli aggression cannot be agreed to,” he said, speaking as the Cabinet meeting was underway.
“The issue has become simply: give us weapons, but no national security. How is that possible? We do not accept it, because we consider ourselves a fundamental component of Lebanon,” Qassem said.
Hezbollah still retains significant support among Lebanon’s Shiite Muslim community.
But polling by the Arab Barometer, undertaken in early 2024, found that “despite Hezbollah’s significant influence in Lebanon, relatively few Lebanese support it.”
Why is Israel still attacking Lebanon?
There have been cross-border clashes between Hezbollah and Israelfor decades. The latest war between the two erupted in October 2023 when Hezbollah began firing rockets over the border at Israel after the Hamas-led massacres in Israel on October 7, 2023.
Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Lebanon despite the November 2024 ceasefire. It says these are on Hezbollah’s weapons depots and fighters, and accuses the group of trying to rebuild its military capabilities.
Israel has threatened to keep up its strikes on Lebanon until the group is disarmed.
Courtesy: DW
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque