US threatens Lebanon, demands Hezbollah disarmament

The US is demanding that the Lebanese government disarm Hezbollah, threatening that “Israel will launch an all-out war again” if it does not comply.

Following Israel’s bombing of Beirut twice last week, the US has issued an ultimatum to Lebanon, stating that Hezbollah must be forcibly disarmed within a specific timeframe, or the country will face another all-out war with Israel.

According to a report in the Lebanon-based Al-Akhbar newspaper, Morgan Ortagus, the US’s special representative in the region, is expected to visit Lebanon within two days. During this visit, Ortagus will convey the US’s clear message regarding the disarmament of Hezbollah, stating that all other issues, including Israel’s withdrawal and reconstruction efforts, will be contingent on this condition being met.

Sources speaking to the newspaper stated that the demands in the threatening messages from the US go beyond UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and would mean “suicide” for Lebanon.

According to the report, Lebanese officials are cornered by the intense pressure from the US and Israel. According to officials, the country faces two options: forcibly disarming Hezbollah, which carries the risk of civil war, or a large-scale new Israeli offensive for disarmament.

Sources indicate that the Israeli army is likely to attack Lebanon again in full force: “Israel will launch a military operation within a certain timeframe, and the Americans have given the green light for this. It is not known whether this will happen after Ortagus’s visit or whether Ortagus will postpone the visit until the operation takes place.”

Last month, the US announced that it was mediating indirect negotiations between Lebanon and Israel. These negotiations address Lebanese prisoners in Israeli prisons, 13 border points that Israel has been expected to vacate for years, and five new regions occupied by Israeli forces after the ceasefire agreement in November 2024. However, according to the newspaper, Washington and Tel Aviv are now making the disarmament of Hezbollah within a specific period a condition for these negotiations. Otherwise, it is suggested that “the US may drag the country into civil war by using the Lebanese army against the resistance forces.”

The report warns that the forced disarmament of Hezbollah by the army could lead to chaos and sectarian clashes throughout the country.

It is stated that Israel’s two attacks on Beirut last week, the first since the ceasefire, were in retaliation for rockets fired from southern Lebanon. However, Hezbollah announced that it was not involved in the attacks and that it continues to adhere to the ceasefire. The Lebanese resistance organization declared that if Israel’s aggressive stance continues and the Lebanese state cannot stop these violations through diplomatic means, they will have to respond.