Lebanon's cabinet met again on Thursday to continue discussions on the divisive issue of disarming Hezbollah, despite strong opposition from the Iran-backed group. The latest session comes as UN peacekeepers reported discovering a tunnel network and weapons in southern Lebanon.
The US has been pushing Beirut to take action. Its envoy, Tom Barrack, has made several visits to Lebanon in recent weeks, presenting officials with a proposal that includes a timeline for Hezbollah’s disarmament. A full version of the alleged proposal was published by Lebanese newspaper Nidaa al-Watan.
The plan calls for phasing out all armed non-state actors from areas north and south of the Litani River. Lebanese officials claim that areas south of the river, about 30 kilometres from the Israeli border, have been mostly cleared, with hundreds of Hezbollah weapons caches dismantled.
The US proposal also includes increased support for the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces, alongside an Israeli withdrawal from five strategic border points still occupied by Tel Aviv. However, it does not provide any guarantees that Israel - notorious for violating agreements, including the November ceasefire deal with Lebanon - will abide by it.
The plan spans 120 days, divided into four stages, and would be monitored by the US and France in coordination with the Lebanese army. It also includes economic incentives.
Israel has already signalled it would resume full-scale military operations if Beirut failed to disarm the group.
On Thursday, the French contingent of UNIFIL announced it had uncovered a tunnel network along the UN-demarcated Blue Line, in coordination with the Lebanese army.
Images shared by the French military showed confiscated munitions and tunnels, found during "Operation Kemmel 2."
Political fallout
Amid growing US pressure and fears of a wider conflict, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Tuesday that the government had tasked the army with producing a plan to restrict weapons to state forces by the end of 2025.
Two Hezbollah-allied ministers - Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine and Environment Minister Tamara Zein - walked out of Tuesday’s cabinet meeting in protest. Shia ministers say they cannot carry the burden of such a decision alone, fearing a backlash from their communities.
Some Hezbollah supporters have warned that disarming the group without a strong national army would be “suicidal,” even after what many described as the group’s military defeat.
Hezbollah accused Salam’s government of "subjugating Lebanon to American tutelage and Israeli occupation". Salam dismissed the claims and mocked Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem’s suggestion that the group's weapons would be "handed over to Israel".
Media reports suggested that Hezbollah and Amal’s four Shia ministers were considering resigning if the cabinet adopts the disarmament plan. However, other reports indicated they may instead vote against it, potentially triggering a crisis in Lebanon’s fragile sectarian power-sharing system.
Fadi Makki is a fifth Shia cabinet minister who was reportedly chosen as a compromise candidate between Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
Historic shift
The cabinet’s decision to pursue disarmament marks the first such move since the end of Lebanon's civil war over 30 years ago, when all factions except Hezbollah surrendered their weapons.
Officials say the push is part of implementing a ceasefire deal reached in November that ended more than a year of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. That conflict culminated in two months of intense fighting last year, leaving Hezbollah politically and militarily weakened, with thousands of deaths - many of them civilians.
In a statement Wednesday, Hezbollah declared it would treat the disarmament decision "as if it did not exist", accusing the government of committing "a grave sin" and enabling Israel to "tamper with Lebanon’s sovereignty, geography, politics, and future".
The Amal Movement, Hezbollah's main ally led by Berri, also criticised the cabinet decision but called Thursday’s session "an opportunity for correction". Meanwhile, reports suggest Berri is increasingly at odds with Hezbollah, privately urging the group to avoid another war and begin disarming.
Most other political parties have praised the cabinet’s move, calling it overdue and necessary to restore Lebanese sovereignty. Both President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Salam were hailed for making a "brave national" choice.
Iran’s reaction
Iran, Hezbollah’s main backer, said on Wednesday that any decision on disarmament rests with the group itself. “We support it from afar, but we do not interfere,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, adding that Hezbollah had “rebuilt itself” following the war with Israel.
Lebanon’s foreign ministry condemned Araghchi’s comments as a "violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty and stability." Kataeb party leader Samy Gemayel called on the ministry to summon or expel the Iranian ambassador.
Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji had previously summoned Iran’s envoy to Beirut, Mojtaba Amani, and President Aoun has warned Tehran to stop meddling in Lebanon’s internal affairs.
Lebanon banned all flights from Iran in February, citing reports that Tehran was smuggling cash and weapons to Hezbollah through Beirut Airport.
Hezbollah’s main supply route from Iran via Syria was cut off in December, after Islamist rebels overthrew Bashar al-Assad’s regime and seized power in Damascus.
(Agencies, The New Arab)