Latest news with #Hezbollah
Wall Street Journal
37 minutes ago
- General
- Wall Street Journal
With Israeli Intel, Lebanon Is Dismantling Hezbollah in the South
BEIRUT—Lebanon's army has largely disarmed Hezbollah in its southern strongholds—in part with the help of Israeli intelligence—as the country's new government moves to enforce a cease-fire that halted an intense wave of fighting with Israel last year. U.S. and Israeli officials say they have been pleasantly surprised by the progress, which has been critical in maintaining the fragile truce struck in November. The question now is whether the Lebanese state can complete the task in the south and extend its efforts to the rest of the country.
Ya Libnan
an hour ago
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
There is no better time to disarm Hezbollah
File : Hezbollah top commanders that were killed in its last war with Israel by David Schenker With the group and its Iranian patrons at their weakest point in decades, Beirut has a real opportunity to restore its sovereignty, but waiting for another futile 'national dialogue' may close that window Last week, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun announced that Beirut would not forcibly disarm the Iran-backed Shiite militia Hezbollah as part of its effort to gain a state monopoly on weapons. Instead, Aoun said Hezbollah would be convinced to give up its arms on its own, through dialogue and negotiations. Moreover, the president suggested the militia's troops could then be integrated into the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). This approach, which avoids a potentially bloody face-off, will be unacceptable to both the US and Israel, and will ultimately undermine the hopeful progress Lebanon has made toward reasserting its sovereignty. Undoubtedly, President Aoun is in a difficult position. In the November 2024 ceasefire that ended the Hezbollah-Israel war, the Lebanese government agreed to implement United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1701 and 1559, which require the disarmament of all militias in the country. For its part, Hezbollah agreed to move its military hardware and personnel to the area above the Litani River, but it has rejected demilitarization elsewhere. Since the ceasefire was signed in December, the LAF has largely fulfilled its obligations to seize the militia's weapons and dismantle Hezbollah's infrastructure along the frontier with Israel. Lacking sufficient numbers of troops and concerned about sparking a resumption of its sectarian civil war, however, Beirut has baulked at going after Hezbollah's arsenal north of the Litani. Meanwhile, consistent with the terms of the ceasefire, Israel continues to target Hezbollah assets and personnel throughout the state. Default Approach To square the circle while avoiding a seemingly inevitable confrontation with Hezbollah, Aoun has defaulted to Lebanon's perennial preferred method of dealing with uncomfortable and insoluble problems: national dialogue. Aoun is calling for a 'bilateral dialogue' with Hezbollah to reach an agreement on the organization's disarmament. Since 2005, Hezbollah has periodically engaged with the Lebanese government and political factions in dialogues focused on designing a 'national defense strategy.' These discussions proved sterile, largely because Hezbollah always refused to discuss ceding its weapons but also because the organization routinely murdered Lebanese critics who had the temerity to suggest that Hezbollah surrender its arms. Accordingly, until 2025, successive Lebanese governments accepted and legitimated, in their ministerial statements, the militia's possession of weapons and 'resistance.' For example, in 2010, Hezbollah participated in several rounds of talks. But Hezbollah maintained its position, and negotiations, unsurprisingly, made no progress. In 2012, then-President Michel Suleiman advocated for placing Hezbollah's arms under the authority of the LAF, but the group swiftly rejected it. In 2016, President Michel Aoun endorsed Hezbollah's arms as 'complementary' to the LAF. After years of futile efforts, in 2018, negotiations finally broke down after the militia deployed to Syria to defend the Assad regime against a popular revolt. Now, Hezbollah says it is again willing to participate in a dialogue. According to Hezbollah MP Ihab Hamadeh, this dialogue would focus on establishing a 'defensive strategy' that would have to 'convince' the Lebanese that the state could defend the country from Israel. Militia officials have said they could agree to disarm if Israel withdraws from Lebanon—a reference to five hilltop locations Israel continues to occupy in Lebanon—and ends its targeting of Hezbollah. But that position has since been contradicted by the organization's current leader, Naim Qassem, who said on 19 April that 'no one will be allowed to remove the weapons of the resistance.' In any event, these officials say the dialogue will not occur until after the parliamentary elections in 2026, currently slated for May. Delay Tactic As in previous failed national dialogues, it appears that Hezbollah is once again embracing talks as a delay tactic . The United States and Israel, as well as many critics of Hezbollah in Lebanon, understand that after sustaining so many losses in its war of choice in support of Hamas, the militia is looking to buy time to regroup and reconstitute. For his part, President Aoun is seeking to avoid a direct confrontation with Hezbollah, but he is under pressure. US Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus continues to press Aoun and the Lebanese government to fulfil their ceasefire obligations vis-a-vis Hezbollah. As Ortagus recently reiterated to the Lebanese network LBCI, 'that includes disarming Hezbollah and all militias .' Aoun's National Dialogue initiative and his trial balloon suggestion of incorporating Hezbollah fighters into the LAF were a well-intentioned effort to cajole Hezbollah into concessions the group is loath to make. To be sure, conscripting the militia into the LAF was the unstated policy vision for Hezbollah during the Clinton Administration. Yet Aoun clearly understands this approach won't fly with Trump's Washington. Indeed, immediately after floating the idea, Aoun clarified that absorbing Hezbollah into the LAF would not resemble the structure of Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces, known as the Hashd al Shaaby , into the Iraqi military. The Hashd—another Iranian-backed militia force—operates separately and outside the control of the Iraqi government. In the case of Hezbollah, Aoun said, militia members would not be permitted to operate as an independent unit like the Hashd, but would instead be recruited into the military as individuals. Despite Aoun's assurances, the approach—in which Hezbollah loyalists would receive military training and continue to possess weapons—is unlikely to advance the disarmament objective. Predictable Initiative Sadly, this initiative was predictable. On 8 October 2024—two months prior to the ceasefire and three months before Aoun was elected president—I anticipated this outcome in a paper published by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy . At the time, I wrote: 'To avoid antagonizing the group (Hezbollah) while placating the West, they may be tempted to finesse the resolution to 'incorporate' Hezbollah into the LAF. This would be unacceptable, however.' Seven months on, the idea remains problematic. Lebanon has committed itself to disarming all militias and establishing a state monopoly on weapons. This is the sine qua non if Lebanon hopes to become a sovereign and successful state. And it is for the first time possible because of Israeli military operations in October and November 2024 that degraded Hezbollah to an unprecedented extent. Incorporating Hezbollah into the LAF will preserve the militia's latent capabilities and undercut the army. Delaying efforts to disarm the militia via an interminable dialogue will provide the group with a reprieve from extreme pressure. With both Hezbollah and its Iranian patrons at their weakest point, Lebanon has a fleeting opportunity to restore its eroded sovereignty. Washington will continue to press Beirut to seize this opportunity, but the decision ultimately rests with President Aoun and the Lebanese government. No doubt, Hezbollah will try to delay its demilitarization in hopes of maintaining a residual capability, and should the government persist and broaden its efforts against the group, there could be violent clashes. Despite the risks, however, there will never be a more favorable time to disarm Hezbollah—with or without its consent—than now. David Schenker is the Taube Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute . He worked in the Department of Defense during the George W. Bush administration, and was nominated on April 9, 2018, to head the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs in the State Department . . He has written two books, Dancing with Saddam: The Strategic Tango of Jordanian–Iraqi Relations (2003) and Palestinian Democracy and Governance: An Appraisal of the Legislative Council (2000). ( The Washington Institute )
Spectator
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Must my fish and chips come with a side of geopolitics?
'Our boys went to Lebanon and trained Hezbollah!' shouted the drunk Irish lad in the fish and chip shop as an Indian man behind the counter silently fried chips. 'Chucky ar la!' the lad shouted, or Tiocfaidh ar la, to correctly spell in Irish the slogan of the IRA, meaning 'Our day will come.' And he went on shouting this, over and over, as the Indian fellow stared down into the fryer, and the Friday night customers formed a queue in this small fast-food joint in a West Cork harbour town. The Irish lad was not getting the message that the Hindu chap frying chips was probably not a massive Hezbollah or Hamas supporter, and he carried on shouting about Gaza and inviting the man behind the counter to join in with him. The long-standing allegiance which the Irish feel for the Palestinians is becoming hysterical. This is probably why the authorities have just had to slap terrorism charges on a member of the scuzzy Northern Irish hip hop band no one had heard of before, charmingly entitled Kneecap, in honour of the way the IRA used to administer justice, after he allegedly waved a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation, at a London gig. All over West Cork where we live, the Palestinian flags fly, including on farms. You are more likely to see the red, white, green and black flying than an Irish tricolour. In this, our nearest fish and chip shop, there are Palestinian flag key fobs for sale on the counter. We try to ignore them as we order, but their presence puts me off my cod.
LBCI
6 hours ago
- General
- LBCI
Alleged talks with Syria, warnings on Lebanon: Israel walks a strategic 'tightrope'
Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian Between near-daily bombings and incursions, the Israeli army's threats to expand its presence deeper into Lebanon, and the relative calm in Syria's interior, it appears Israel, through its security agencies and political consultations, is trying to ensure calm on the Syrian front. Israel considers itself closer to peace with Syria, despite some officials' concerns that certain steps could jeopardize the army's achievements and freedom of operation there. This warning came after the disclosure of direct talks between Syrian and Israeli security and military officials. Some say the talks took place at the border, while others claim they occurred inside Israel. A report further revealed that efforts are focused on accelerating an understanding between the two sides. At the same time the talks were revealed, a military report discussed the Israeli army's deployment in Syria, noting it controls nine military sites from the summit of Mount Hermon through the Hama region to the border triangle with Jordan. However, the report also pointed to the continued presence of weapons caches, specifically in villages known to be affiliated with ISIS. This issue was discussed by Israelis with Syrian figures due to concerns about the impact on the army's safety and border security. The report also warned about the situation regarding Lebanon, particularly Hezbollah's "calm state," noting that if the group decides to retaliate against Tel Aviv, it will not be limited to the five hills it occupies inside Lebanon but will extend into Israel proper. The report said this requires decisive action on this front as well.
LBCI
6 hours ago
- Business
- LBCI
Starlink in Beirut: Tech infrastructure emerges as pillar of Lebanon's recovery efforts
Report by Wissam Nasrallah, English adaptation by Mariella Succar A delegation from the American company Starlink is scheduled to visit Beirut on Thursday, where it will meet with Lebanon's three top leaders—the president, the prime minister, and the speaker of parliament—as well as several ministers to discuss the potential activation of its satellite internet service in the country. While most media outlets have headlined the visit as a technological opportunity, the high-level nature of the meetings raises a question: Why would an internet service provider be meeting with the country's top political leaders rather than with technical experts from the relevant ministries? It is becoming increasingly clear that Starlink—the satellite-based internet service offered by Elon Musk's SpaceX—has taken on a political dimension in Lebanon that precedes its technical implications. Lebanon's efforts to reconnect with its Arab and international surroundings have come through diplomacy, security, and now, through openness to technology and investment. This is not the first time Starlink's potential entry into Lebanon has been discussed. The topic was seriously considered before the Israeli war, as a contingency in the event of internet outages. At the time, ministers affiliated with Hezbollah raised security concerns. Now that the war has ended and its consequences are known, the question is: What obstacles remain to activating Starlink—especially when Lebanon clearly needs the service? Starlink operates through a constellation of thousands of low-orbit satellites that provide direct data transmission from space to the user, without the need for cables or ground infrastructure. A small dish installed on a rooftop, vehicle, or building connects to the satellite and provides high-speed internet—even in the most remote or disaster-stricken areas. In a country grappling with fragile infrastructure, Starlink appears to be the much-needed backup plan for companies, banks, hospitals, and media outlets that cannot afford internet disruptions. At the core, investors measure a country's readiness by its stability and essential services like electricity, internet and security.
