logo
Hezbollah 'divided' over whether to scale back its arsenal amid US pressure to disarm

Hezbollah 'divided' over whether to scale back its arsenal amid US pressure to disarm

The National20 hours ago
Hezbollah is reviewing a US proposal urging the group to disarm within a few months, Lebanese sources told The National before a visit by US envoy Thomas Barrack on Monday.
The Lebanese group, which is under mounting US pressure and daily Israeli strikes, is internally divided over whether to scale back its arsenal, an informed source close to the matter told The National. The "carrot and stick" US plan could bring reconstruction funds and an end to Israel 's attacks.
The increased US pressure on Hezbollah comes amid a major political shift in the Middle East, which has resulted in Iran 's proxies being significantly weakened since the Hamas-led attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel's devastating war on Gaza prompted many of these proxies to launch their own attacks against Israel.
On October 8, 2023, in support of its ally, Hamas, Hezbollah initiated tit-for-tat exchanges along the Lebanon-Israel border, which Israel later escalated into a full-scale war. The conflict ended in November, leaving Hezbollah, once Iran's most prized asset, significantly weakened, with much of its arsenal destroyed and parts of its leadership decimated. Hezbollah's disarmament, once considered a political taboo, is now on the table.
In June, Mr Barrack, the US special envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkey, sent a roadmap to Lebanese authorities calling on Hezbollah to relinquish its weapons across the country within a few months, in exchange for financial support and a halt of continuing Israeli military operations.
"Lebanon's hope awakens!!! The opportunity is now. This is a historic moment to supersede the strained confessionalism of the past," M Barrack wrote on X ahead of his visit.
Hezbollah has been holding clandestine talks to decide on its future, Reuters reported on Friday. Still, observers have raised concerns about the US pressure tactics, stressing that Hezbollah's weapons remain a highly sensitive issue in a deeply fractured country, where the group continues to enjoy broad popular support.
'Carrot and stick'
Mr Barrack's roadmap calls for a rapid disarmament of the group in return for the release of much-needed reconstruction funds for the war-ravaged country. It also calls for Israel's withdrawal from five occupied border points it seized in October during its aerial campaign in Lebanon, and a halt to Israeli military operations, according to the source.
Mr Barrack described this approach to disarming Hezbollah as 'a carrot and a stick' in an interview with The New York Times.
Under the terms of the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, brokered by the US and France, all armed groups in Lebanon must give up their weapons, starting from the south of the Litani River, which lies 30km from the Lebanon-Israel border. In return, Israel must withdraw from the areas in south Lebanon it seized during the war and halt its violations of Lebanese airspace.
Lebanese authorities said they have dismantled almost all of Hezbollah's infrastructure near the border with Israel since the ceasefire. But despite this progress, Israel has continued to carry out air strikes, saying it is targeting Hezbollah and accusing the group of violating the truce, which Hezbollah denies.
Lebanese authorities say Israel has violated the truce more than 3,000 times. Israeli bombardments since the ceasefire have killed least 71 civilians, according to the UN.
The US-backed Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has pledged to establish a state monopoly on weapons, while emphasising that this should be achieved through dialogue with Hezbollah, not by force. Hezbollah retains strong support within parts of the Shiite community, many of whom rely heavily on its social services in the absence of a functioning state.
On Sunday, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said the group was ready for peace and dialogue on the one hand, but "confrontation" on the other should such circumstances arise. "We are a people who do not submit, we will not give up our rights and dignity," he stated.
Mr Qassem said the group remained steadfast, despite the threat from Israel and others. "This threat will not make us accept surrender," he said. 'How can we confront Israel when it attacks us if we didn't have them?" he asked, in reference to the pressure for the group to hand over its weapons.
"Who is preventing Israel from entering villages and landing and killing young people, women and children inside their homes unless there is a resistance with certain capabilities capable of minimal defense?'
Observers have cautioned that dismantling the group without considering local dynamics could further destabilise Lebanon. But 'for Washington, the internal complexities Lebanon faces in attempting to disarm Hezbollah are secondary; the focus is on safeguarding Israel', the source said.
Mr Barrack's stance aligns with that of Morgan Ortagus, the former official who oversaw the Trump administration's Lebanon portfolio and is known for her pro-Israel position. 'The US's primary concern is state monopoly on weapons and, above all, the security of Israel,' the source added.
The position is motivated by a desire to avoid a repeat of the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, which ended with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, calling for the disarmament of the group. However, Hezbollah began rebuilding its arsenal soon after. 'It still haunts Israelis,' the source said.
Today, the situation is drastically different. Hezbollah is grappling with acute financial strain, a decimated chain of command, and severed supply routes following the ousting of its ally Bashar Al Assad in Syria, all amid broader regional shifts in the balance of power.
Western diplomats have previously told The National that the intense pressure placed on the new Lebanese government, embraced by international powers, and marked by a significant decline in Hezbollah's political influence could jeopardise its stability.
The US pressure tactics could also backfire, the source warned. 'There's a risk Hezbollah could feel cornered and respond defensively,' the source said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Iran 'ready to hold talks' with US over nuclear programme, Pezeshkian says
Iran 'ready to hold talks' with US over nuclear programme, Pezeshkian says

The National

timean hour ago

  • The National

Iran 'ready to hold talks' with US over nuclear programme, Pezeshkian says

Iran is ready to resume talks with the US over the future of its nuclear programme, President Masoud Pezeshkian has said, adding that Israel had 'torpedoed the negotiating table'. Speaking to American journalist Tucker Carlson in an interview that aired on Monday, Mr Pezeshkian noted that while Iran was willing to return to allowing supervision of its programme, its nuclear infrastructure was 'severely damaged' by recent US strikes. 'We don't have any access to them,' he said. 'We have to wait for it and to see what happens and how much they have been damaged, so that we can go for the supervision.' Iran and the US had been in the process of negotiating a new deal to put limits on Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. President Donald Trump withdrew from the original deal during his first term, but expressed his desire earlier this year to come to a new agreement. The two sides had held several rounds of indirect talks in Muscat and Rome, with Oman as mediator, when Israel launched a 'pre-emptive' strike on Iran's nuclear infrastructure. Mr Pezeshkian said the US team told Iran during the negotiations that 'as long as we don't give the permission to Israel, they are not going to attack you'. 'We were sitting at the negotiating table when it happened, and by doing this, they totally ruined and destroyed diplomacy,' he said, accusing Israel of attempting to drag the US into 'forever wars'. 'How are we going to trust the United States again? We re-enter the negotiations, then how can we know for sure that in the middle of the talks, the Israeli regime will not be given the permission again to attack?' Still, the President said Iran was 'ready to hold talks over' the future of the nuclear programme. 'We have never been the party that has run away from verification. We stand ready to have these supervisions,' he said.' Carlson pointed out that Mr Pezeshkian had approved a law suspending co-operation with the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. The agency is responsible for monitoring Iran's nuclear programme amid concerns that it is trying to build a nuclear weapon – something Tehran has continuously denied. Mr Pezeshkian said Iranians were 'pessimistic' about the activities of the IAEA following a report that he claims gave Israel the excuse to attack Iran's nuclear facilities. 'The IAEA failed to condemn these attacks or try to anyway to stop them. And this ran counter to the international law, and this resulted in a widespread lack of trust among the Iranians,' he said. The US has condemned Iran's move to stop co-operating with the IAEA. With regard to the US and future relations, Mr Pezeshkian emphasised the need for Washington to respect Iran's rights. 'I believe that the United States' President can very well guide the region and the world to peace and tranquillity, or, on the other hand, to lead it to forever wars,' he said.

Israel, Hamas set for Gaza ceasefire talks as Netanyahu due to meet Trump
Israel, Hamas set for Gaza ceasefire talks as Netanyahu due to meet Trump

Dubai Eye

timean hour ago

  • Dubai Eye

Israel, Hamas set for Gaza ceasefire talks as Netanyahu due to meet Trump

Israel and Hamas are set to hold indirect talks in Qatar for a second day on Monday, aimed at securing a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza, ahead of a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump. Trump has said a deal could be reached this week. Before departing for Washington on Sunday, Netanyahu said that Israeli negotiators had been given clear instructions to achieve a ceasefire under conditions that Israel has accepted. An Israeli official described the atmosphere so far at the Gaza talks, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, as positive. Palestinian officials said that initial meetings on Sunday had ended inconclusively. A second Israeli official said the issue of humanitarian aid had been discussed in Qatar, without providing further details. The truce talks have been revived following last month's 12-day Israeli air war against Iran. The US-backed proposal for a 60-day ceasefire envisages a phased release of hostages, Israeli troop withdrawals from parts of Gaza and discussions on ending the war entirely. Ending the war has been the main sticking point in past rounds of talks, with Hamas demanding a full end to the conflict in return for releasing all hostages, and Israel insisting it would fight on until Hamas is dismantled. Some of Netanyahu's hardline coalition partners oppose ending the fighting. But, with Israelis having become increasingly weary of the 21-month-old war, his government is expected to back a ceasefire. The war was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Around 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza are believed to be still alive. Israel's retaliatory military campaign against Hamas has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health authorities, led to a hunger crisis, displaced nearly all the population and left most of the territory in ruins.

US ends foreign terrorist designation on Syria's Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham group
US ends foreign terrorist designation on Syria's Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham group

Middle East Eye

timean hour ago

  • Middle East Eye

US ends foreign terrorist designation on Syria's Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham group

The United States announced on Monday that it was revoking the foreign terrorist organisation designation for Syria's Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, months after it spearheaded the overthrow of the long-serving Assad dynasty. A State Department memo signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio read: "In consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury, I hereby revoke the designation of al-Nusra Front, also known as Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham." The memo was dated 23 June but went into effect at the time of publication. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa commanded HTS, a Syrian militant rebel group that overthrew the government of former strongman Bashar al-Assad in late 2024. Born out of al-Qaeda's Syria branch, the al-Nusra Front, HTS has since rejected transnational jihad, and Sharaa has said he aims to rule for all Syrians. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters However, earlier this year, some 1500 people from the Alawite minority were killed after pro-Assad militias launched attacks on government forces. A Reuters investigation revealed 40 sites of revenge killings, massacres and looting against the religious minority. Since assuming power, Sharaa has admitted that his government is holding "indirect talks" with Israel, and last week, Syrian authorities said they were willing to cooperate with Washington on reimplementing a 1974 disengagement agreement with Israel. Speaking earlier on Monday, the US special envoy to Syria and Lebanon, Tom Barrack, said "dialogue has started" between the two countries. Sharaa is likely to face opposition from his base and the broader Syrian population over a possible normalisation deal, as Israel continues to wage war on hungry and besieged Palestinians in Gaza. Moreover, anger has also been steadily growing over Israel's invasion of Syria's southwest and occupying a UN buffer zone between the two countries, and bombing Syria's military installations. Trump hastens to end sanctions Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump met Sharaa during a trip to Saudi Arabia, where he called him an "attractive" and "tough guy". The Trump administration has also vowed to terminate four decades of US sanctions on Syria but has struggled to navigate multiple layers of restrictions. Trump signed an executive order last week to end the US sanctions programme. It permitted the relaxation of export controls on certain goods to Syria and waived restrictions on certain foreign assistance. Trump lifts bulk of US sanctions against Syria Read More » The decision to lift sanctions on HTS underscores how quickly the US is moving on the executive order signed on 30 June. It called on the secretary of state to review the sanctions designation on HTS and Sharaa along with Syria's designation as a state sponsor of terror, which was imposed in 1979 when the country was ruled by Hafez al-Assad. The order also instructed the secretary of state to review suspending the Caesar Act. Signed into law in 2019, the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act allowed the US to punish companies in other countries if they engaged in transactions with sanctioned Syrian companies and entities, a mechanism called secondary sanctions. Although the Assad dynasty was toppled in December by Sharaa's forces, the Caesar sanctions were passed by Congress. Some experts have said they might take longer to undue than the foreign terrorist designations. Rubio told lawmakers in May that in order to attract much-needed foreign investment in Syria, the US will begin by issuing waivers under the Caesar Act. Since entering office, Trump has approved efforts by Gulf allies Qatar and Saudi Arabia to bring Syria back into the regional fold. The two Gulf states also repaid Syria's $15m debt to the World Bank. The Gulf states are also paying the salaries of Syrian government employees. In March, Qatar began supplying gas to Syria via Jordan.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store