The Lebanese government welcomed the plan presented by the Army on Friday, and plans to disarm Hezbollah, the country’s most terrifying military force.
According to Lebanon’s Information Minister Paul Morkos, the Army will begin implementing terms of trade, but its capabilities may be limited.
The government had not provided a timeline for the implementation of the plan, but Prime Minister Nawafsalam said that the Army leaders will submit monthly reports to the Cabinet on their progress.
Under intense US and regional pressure to disarm strong Iran-backed militias, the government had asked the Army to present its plan by early August despite rejection by Hezbollah and its allies.
At the cabinet meeting on Friday, five ministers from Hezbollah and its alliance Amal Party have withdrawn as the government began to discuss the plan, according to official Lebanon national news agency.
The Lebanese military’s plan is an unprecedented effort to disarm one of Iran’s most powerful regional agents and one of the biggest non-state threats to Israel. Despite being significantly weakened by Israel over the past two years, Hezbollah remains Lebanon’s most powerful armed group and has a large support base among the country’s large Shiite communities. Observers warn that attempts to disarm it by force risk the country falling into civil conflict.
Details of the Lebanese military’s plans remain unknown, but the government has previously said that all weapons belonging to the militia must be under state control by the end of the year.
“This is a very important moment,” a Lebanese official told CNN on Friday before the plan was presented. “The goal is for (weapons) handovers to begin at the end of the year, or at least by the end of the year.”
Molcos said the government welcomed the military’s plans to control arms, but decided to keep the details secret.
In addition to being a militant group, Hezbollah also serves as a political party with legislators in the assembly, and as a social services sector serving many members, primarily in the south. Some Hezbollah opponents claim it will disband the armed wings and function only as a political party.
After the Lebanese civil war ended in 1990, Hezbollah, unlike other militias, continued to expand his influence across politics and society, remaining armed.
Lebanon was devastated by a year-long conflict between Hezbollah and Israel after Palestinian extremists attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
Last year’s US-mediated ceasefire was intended to stop Israeli attacks on Lebanon, but Israel’s daily strikes and five position occupation in South Lebanon have intensified Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm.
The Lebanese government led by Salam, a former head of the International Court of Justice, is being criticised by supporters of treason as Israeli forces allow them to disarm the United States while they exist in Lebanon’s territory. However, Hezbollah’s opponents accused the group of dragging them into a war with Israel and criticised their leadership for failing to fulfill their promises to protect the country.
US envoys Tom Barack and Morgan Ortags, appointed by President Donald Trump, utilised Hezbollah’s weakened state to launch shuttle diplomacy aimed at negotiating a framework between Hezbollah and Israel. They appear to be aware of the associated risks.
“The LAF (Lebanese military) and the government will return with a plan that “our proposal to Hezbollah is how to disarm them.” This is not necessarily military. They are not talking about going to war.
Barack said at the time the Army’s plans were part of an 11-stage process promised to be completed by the Lebanese government.
US and Lebanese officials provide little details about how Hezbollah assumes to persuade him to voluntarily disarm him.
Lebanese officials warned that Israel’s continued strike against Lebanon is hampering the government’s efforts to disarm the group.
“As long as Israel maintains its military status within Lebanon’s territory and bombs the entire border area until all homes, fields, crops and all forms of life are destroyed, Hezbollah continues to say that their weapons are to protect themselves and the country,” the official said. “It’s important for them (Israel) to get out of here.”
Israeli officials previously said Lebanese troops would remain there “indefinitely,” but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that they would begin a gradual withdrawal from Lebanon once Lebanese forces disarm Hezbollah.
