Lebanese government postpones Hezbollah disarmament decision amid cabinet crisis

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced after yesterday’s critical Council of Ministers meeting that the decision on Hezbollah’s disarmament and ensuring the state’s monopoly on all weapons has been postponed until next week.

“We have decided to postpone the discussion on the US proposal [for Hezbollah’s disarmament] until next Thursday,” Salam said.

The Prime Minister emphasized Lebanon’s commitment to UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and pledged to ensure the state’s monopoly on weapons by the end of the year. “The Lebanese army has been tasked with developing an implementation plan for weapons and presenting this plan to the Council of Ministers before August 31,” he said.

Hezbollah and Amal Movement ministers left the meeting

Ministers affiliated with Hezbollah and the Amal Movement walked out of the meeting before it concluded on Tuesday evening. Lebanese journalist Khalil Nasrallah interpreted this as “an attempt to create a fait accompli in the process of disarming the resistance and a sign of a trap being set.”

Nasrallah stated, “The Council of Ministers did not task the army with preparing a plan to defend Lebanon against Israeli attacks; instead, it asked it to prepare a plan to limit weapons (Hezbollah’s weapons) and to present this plan at the end of August. This reveals the state of so-called ‘defense’ thinking in Lebanon. We are facing the mentality of a group that has embraced cowardice.”

Information Minister Paul Morcos also stated after the meeting that Hezbollah and the Amal Movement left the meeting “due to a disagreement over the decision that the monopoly on weapons belongs to the state.”

The meeting reportedly began at 3:00 PM and lasted for about five hours.

Qassem: The attacks will not end if we surrender our weapons

Speaking during the meeting, Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem stated clearly that the resistance will not surrender its weapons. “The attacks will not stop if we surrender our weapons; Israeli officials are saying this openly,” he said.

Qassem also stressed that the resistance is part of the Taif Agreement and, being a constitutional issue, is subject to national consensus, not a vote. Qassem asked, “The government program speaks of protecting sovereignty. Is surrendering weapons at the request of Israel, the US, and some Arab countries protecting sovereignty?”

“You talk to us about deterring attacks. But where is the state that will protect this country from disaster? Where is the mechanism to defend the borders? Since you cannot do this, at least allow us to maintain and develop our own defense capabilities,” Qassem said.

Qassem also revealed that the US representative, Tom Barrack, had demanded that Hezbollah surrender all its weapons within 30 days. He also warned, “If Israel launches a large-scale attack, missiles will rain down on its territory.”

Sources close to Hezbollah said that Qassem’s harsh statements were made in response to Washington’s latest demands.

The crisis over “pressure to disarm” grows for the government

Sources close to the government reported that no political force in Lebanon aims to overthrow the government. However, the Lebanese Forces Party, which is close to the US, is insisting on a timetable for Hezbollah’s disarmament and has signaled it will “escalate tensions” if this is not achieved.

Washington is also applying intense pressure on the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah. Hezbollah, on the other hand, states that its weapons can be considered under the umbrella of the state as part of a defense strategy, but this is a purely internal matter, and such a discussion cannot begin before Israeli attacks cease.

Hezbollah also presents as a fundamental precondition Israel’s withdrawal from the five points in southern Lebanon that it has occupied since last year’s ceasefire.

The US and Israel rejected Lebanon’s conditions

The Lebanese government prepared a response to the US-proposed roadmap, which includes the disarmament of Hezbollah. This response emphasized that the first step must be Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied areas in Lebanon and a halt to its daily attacks.

However, it is reported that Israel and the US have rejected these conditions, increasing the likelihood of a new military escalation in the region.

Israeli attacks continue

Hezbollah had announced its withdrawal to the north of the Litani River as part of the ceasefire agreement. However, since the ceasefire reached in November 2023, more than 200 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on southern and eastern Lebanon.

The Israeli press has written that the Tel Aviv administration will continue its attacks until Hezbollah is completely disarmed and is ready for a new war if necessary.

On Monday, one person was killed and four were injured in an attack by an Israeli drone in southern Lebanon.

Sources speaking to Reuters reported that Washington will no longer pressure Israel to stop its attacks or withdraw, but first expects the Lebanese government to commit to rapidly disarming Hezbollah. The US is said to be demanding a cabinet decision to approve this process.