
Time to disband Hezbollah before Lebanon is completely destroyed. This is a national emergency
.
The party is now is Lebanon's greatest burden
By: Ali Hussein
Lebanon is at a crossroads—and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's recent call to arrest armed men at a Hezbollah-led Ashura gathering in Beirut must be seen as a wake-up call. Video footage showed hundreds of Hezbollah supporters, dressed in black and wielding automatic rifles, parading through Beirut's streets in a theatrical display of force. This wasn't a religious commemoration—it was an armed spectacle designed to intimidate.
Salam's decision to intervene is commendable, but the problem is far deeper than a few men with guns. It is Hezbollah itself—an armed militia operating under the flag of a foreign power—that remains the single greatest threat to Lebanon's sovereignty, stability, and future.
Hezbollah's arms have not protected Lebanon; they have endangered it. Time and time again, their weapons have proved no match for Israel's overwhelming military power. The 2006 war, the skirmishes since, and the most recent Israeli airstrikes all confirm the same reality: Hezbollah cannot defend Lebanon. On the contrary, its presence gives Israel an excuse to attack.
These arms have become a liability not only for Lebanon, but also for Hezbollah itself. In a tragic twist, the very weapons Hezbollah boasts about are like toys compared to Israel's precision-guided missiles and advanced surveillance capabilities. Every time Hezbollah displays its firepower, it invites Israeli retaliation—not just against itself, but against the entire country.
By flaunting its weapons during religious processions, Hezbollah is not showing resistance—it is siding with Israel by giving it pretexts to target Lebanon. This is not protection; this is provocation. And Lebanon is the one paying the price.
With General Joseph Aoun—Lebanon's respected former army chief—now serving as president, the country has a rare opportunity to reassert state authority. President Aoun must act boldly and decisively. Disarming Hezbollah is no longer a political debate; it is a national emergency.
What does Hezbollah—and by extension its master, Iran—stand to gain if Lebanon is reduced to rubble? If its economy collapses, its youth flee, and its institutions disintegrate? Hezbollah was once seen by some as a defender of Lebanon. Today, it is clear: it is Lebanon's greatest burden.
The solution is clear: implement UN Security Council Resolution 1559 in full. Disband all militias. Reinforce the Lebanese Armed Forces. Restore sovereignty and the rule of law. End the dangerous illusion that Hezbollah's arms are a shield. They are a trap—one that is dragging Lebanon ever closer to ruin.
If Hezbollah truly cares about the people of Lebanon, it should hand over its weapons and join the national effort to rebuild the state—not destroy it.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Cedar News
3 hours ago
- Cedar News
Israel Preparing for Possible Strikes if Iran Restarts Nuclear Program — Eyes U.S. Support Under Trump
Israel is preparing for the possibility of further military action if Iran tries to revive its nuclear program, and Israeli officials think President Trump could green light renewed Israeli attacks, Axios reported citing two sources with knowledge.


Ya Libnan
3 hours ago
- Ya Libnan
US ‘unbelievably satisfied' with Lebanon reply to proposal on disarming Hezbollah, says Barrack
U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and U.S. special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack speaks after meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut, Lebanon June 19, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File photo Summary BEIRUT A U.S. envoy said on Monday he was 'unbelievably satisfied' with Lebanon's reply to a U.S. proposal on disarming Hezbollah, following meetings in Beirut held hours after Israel launched new air strikes and a cross-border incursion. Envoy Thomas Barrack's proposal, delivered to Lebanese officials during his last visit on June 19 , would see Hezbollah fully disarmed within four months in exchange for Israel halting air strikes and withdrawing troops from posts in south Lebanon they still occupy following a war last year. Speaking to reporters after meeting Lebanon's president on Monday, Barrack said he had received a seven-page reply, although he gave no details of its contents. 'What the government gave us was something spectacular in a very short period of time,' Barrack said. 'I'm unbelievably satisfied with the response.' Barrack, a longtime adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump who also serves as U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, said he believed 'the Israelis do not want war with Lebanon'. 'Both countries are trying to give the same thing – the notion of a stand-down agreement, of the cessation of hostilities, and a road to peace,' he said. Israel crushed the leadership of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in a bombing campaign last year, one of many fronts on which it has inflicted severe blows against Iran and its allies since the start of the war in Gaza in 2023. Hezbollah has already relinquished some weapons and withdrawn from southern areas under a ceasefire agreed last year. Israel has kept troops at five posts in southern Lebanon and continued targeting Hezbollah fighters with air strikes, saying it wants the group to pose no threat to Israel. An Israeli official, who asked not to be named, said Israel would only withdraw once Hezbollah completely disarmed – and that Israel would keep reinforcing the posts as long as it saw Hezbollah trying to rebuild its forces in south Lebanon. Hezbollah has not publicly responded to the U.S. disarmament proposal, but its leader said on Sunday the group needed to keep some weapons to defend Lebanon from Israel. Sources have told Reuters that the group is considering shrinking its arsenal , without disarming in full. Barrack also met with Lebanon's prime minister and its parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, who is an ally of Hezbollah. Berri's office released a statement saying the meeting was 'good and constructive, taking into account Lebanon's interests and sovereignty, the concerns of all Lebanese, and the demands of Hezbollah'. HEZBOLLAH HAS FUTURE AS POLITICAL PARTY, ENVOY SAYS In the hours before Barrack's visit, Israel carried out a wave of air strikes on Lebanon's south and east as well as a cross-border ground assault on a Lebanese border village. The Israeli escalation was seen by Lebanese officials and diplomats as an attempt to ratchet up pressure on Hezbollah. Western countries have long said changes in the region could provide a chance for Lebanon to strengthen state institutions that have remained weak for decades in the shadow of powerful sectarian groups. Barrack said Hezbollah needed reassurance that it would still have a future in Lebanon as a major political party. Regional changes provided an opportunity for Lebanon, he said, noting that Syria's new government, which took power last year after the fall of Iranian ally Bashar al-Assad, was now opening dialogue with Israel. 'The dialogue has started between Syria and Israel, just as the dialogue needs to be reinvented by Lebanon,' he said. 'If you don't want change, it's no problem. The rest of the region is moving at Mach speed and you will be left behind.' Reuters


MTV Lebanon
7 hours ago
- MTV Lebanon
Geagea Slams Response to Barrack as ‘Illegal and Unofficial'
Leader of the Lebanese Forces Party Samir Geagea considered that the response to be presented by the three leaders today to US envoy Tom Barrack is "unconstitutional, illegal, and even unofficial." He explained that the Prime Minister is required to convene the cabinet without delay, after having briefed the ministers on Barrack's paper, which ought to be discussed in a cabinet meeting or successive meetings with full ministerial presence to adopt the official constitutional position. "The fate and future of the Lebanese are being determined at this very moment, and the slightest mistake or shortcoming by any of the key officials could drag the country into the abyss, or at best, to stagnation, paralysis, and a gradual regression," cautioned Geagea. The LF Chief considered that Hezbollah, with its bravado, appears determined to inflict further losses, paralysis, and missed opportunities on the country, based on rigid ideological foundations and well-known external connections. "The Council of Ministers, and by extension the Parliament, are called upon to shoulder their responsibilities in these critical circumstances and not waste any further opportunity, leaving the country in a state of instability and uncertainty until further notice," Geagea concluded.