Lebanon finalises response to US proposal as Hezbollah rejects disarmament

Lebanon is close to finalising its formal response to Washington's proposal aimed at resolving tensions with Israel, as intensive political consultations continue ahead of US envoy Thomas Barak’s return to Beirut early next week.

Sources told The New Arab that internal disagreements remain, particularly over the status of Hezbollah's weapons and how any disarmament would be implemented, amid ongoing negotiations.

The country's top leaders have held discussions with Hezbollah, notably through Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, amid US pressure to resolve the issue of weapons outside state control.

It comes amid a series of Israeli military attacks in southern Lebanon this week and the assassination of an alleged Iranian Quds Force "operative" near Beirut on Thursday, widely seen as an Israeli message to Beirut over delays in disarming Hezbollah.

Barak's proposal, presented during his visit to Beirut on 19 June, reportedly calls for arms to be restricted to the Lebanese state, financial reforms, crackdowns on Hezbollah-linked institutions - such as the Al-Qard Al-Hassan foundation - improved relations with Syria, and finalising border demarcation.

Official Lebanese sources told The New Arab that the response was nearing completion and that Beirut was prepared to affirm the principle of a state monopoly over arms, so long as Israel withdraws from all occupied areas in southern Lebanon and halts its attacks on the country.

According to sources, Lebanon is under significant diplomatic pressure, with messages directed to President Joseph Aoun urging him to seize the moment and pursue a diplomatic path, warning that the alternative would be renewed war.

Sources also indicate that there are hopes that Berri, the long-time leader of the Shia-dominated Amal Movement, can persuade Hezbollah to accept the proposal and avert further escalation.

Weapons issue remains key sticking point

The main points of contention centre on Hezbollah's weapons, the timeline of its disarmament, and how the handover would be enforced.

Hezbollah insists that the matter is a domestic issue to be discussed through a national defence strategy and opposes deadlines imposed by the US and a withdrawal from southern Lebanon, citing distrust of Israel. It also demands firm guarantees of full Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territories before discussing any disarmament.

A Hezbollah MP, who did not want to be named, told The New Arab that "the arms issue is an internal Lebanese matter to be addressed within a national strategy, and threats or pressure won’t affect us. We have rights we won’t give up, and the Lebanese state must also defend them".

He rejected claims in Reuters that Hezbollah was considering handing over some of its weapons, including drones and rockets, while keeping only light arms and anti-tank missiles.

The parliamentarian said there had been past discussions with the state about heavy weapons and drones - particularly south of the Litani River - but the priority now was ending Israeli aggression and occupation.

"The role of the weapons is to resist occupation," the MP added. "We won’t give them up while threats persist and with no guarantees Israel will stop its violations. Even after the ceasefire agreement came into effect on 27 November, Israel committed over 2,000 violations, causing many casualties."

He confirmed previous talks with General Joseph Aoun on restricting arms to the state and praised Aoun's handling of the issue as a domestic matter. "We reject any external pressure from the US or Israel aimed at ending the resistance," he said.

Sources told The New Arab that discussions around Hezbollah's arms predated the Israel-Iran war, and that there had been internal debate within the group about transferring some heavy weaponry and ballistic missiles to Iran.

However, the plan was shelved due to shifting developments following the Iran-Israel 12-day war. Talks are now said to be focused on a gradual weapons handover although no final decision has been made on this within Hezbollah.