UK's Jonathan Powell assigned to convince Hezbollah to disarm, integrate into state: report

Britain may be in indirect talks with Hezbollah in Lebanon in a bid to convince the group to disarm and fully integrate into the state, according to pro-Hezbollah newspaper Al-Akhbar.

The Lebanese government is moving forward with a plan to completely disarm the Iran-backed militant group in stages in line with a ceasefire deal that ended last year’s devastating war with Israel.

A year of cross-border clashes between Hezbollah and Israel culminated in more than two-months of all-out war that started in September and ended on 27 November 2024.

President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have pledged to end military dualism in the troubled nation and exert state control over all arms.

Hezbollah has pushed back against these plans, refusing to hand over all its weapons before Israel pulls its troops out of several border posts in south Lebanon and halts its airstrikes.

Beirut has repeatedly called on sponsors of the ceasefire deal – the United States and France – to put more pressure on Israel to stop these attacks and withdraw from Lebanese territory.

Tel Aviv has refused to do so if Hezbollah is not fully disarmed.

Hezbollah's arsenal has been one of the most contentious issues in the divided country for decades. It was the only militia to retain its arms following Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war as Israel occupied the south.

Since then, it has been accused it of creating its own "statelet" parallel to Lebanon’s government and official institutions, challenging the state’s legitimacy, particularly on security and war.

After facing heavy losses in last year’s war, Hezbollah’s political rivals have stepped up their calls for its disarmament, arguing that its weapons were unable to deter Israel.

Britain steps in

Citing "informed sources," Al-Akhbar newspaper – which is politically aligned with Hezbollah – said in a report on Wednesday that the United Kingdom is seeking to expand its role in Lebanon via the conflict with Israel and fill the void left by the US and France.

A senior official confirmed to the paper that the UK proposal involves assigning a British expert to engage in dialogue with Hezbollah, with the aim of persuading Hezbollah to lay down its arms and fully integrate into the state and its institutions.

According to Al-Akhbar, Jonathan Powell is the candidate for this role.

Powell is a national security adviser to the British prime minister, and his organisation has undertaken roles with an intelligence dimension, according to Al-Akhbar.

He has experience in dealing with groups typically classified as rebels or "terrorist" organisations.

Only Hezbollah’s military wing had been proscribed by the UK since 2001, but the group was fully designated a terrorist organisation in 2019, including its political wing.

Al-Akhbar reported that Powell sent messages via his country’s embassy in Beirut to figures known to have channels of communication with Hezbollah, in an attempt to gauge the party’s stance on what he described as a "process of fully integrating Hezbollah into the state and giving up its weapons," in light of the outcomes of the recent Israeli war on Lebanon.

The New Arab contacted the UK’s cabinet office for comment but has not received a response by the time of publication.

Powell is a veteran British diplomat, negotiator, and expert in conflict resolution with over 35 years of experience.

He served as chief of staff for former prime minister Tony Blair between 1995 and 2007. He played a key role in the Northern Ireland peace process and later worked on negotiations with ETA in Spain, the FARC in Colombia, and armed groups in Myanmar.

In 2011, he founded Inter Mediate, an NGO that works discreetly on resolving armed conflicts around the world, advising governments and rebel groups in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. He also served as the UK’s special envoy to Libya between 2014 and 2016 and has published several books on negotiation and peacebuilding.

In an article he wrote in 2023, Powell recommended a “more relaxed attitude” to engaging with groups designated as terrorist organizations by the West.

The UK has given tens of millions of pounds in aid to the Lebanese Army to help strengthen the country's armed forces, and helped establish observation towers along Lebanon's porous border with Syria.

Reports have suggested that London was proposing to set up more watchtowers in southern Lebanon along the border with Israel to help the Lebanese Army fully implement the ceasefire deal.