Lebanon army mum on Hezbollah disarmament plan ahead of split cabinet meeting
As the Lebanese army scrambles to finalize a crucial plan for disarming Hezbollah, officials have been engaged in intense diplomacy to avoid internal confrontations and move ahead with the disarmament process.
BEIRUT — As the Lebanese army scrambles to finalize a crucial plan to bring all weapons in the country under state control, including those of the Shiite paramilitary Hezbollah group, officials have been engaged in intense diplomacy in recent days to secure Hezbollah’s commitment to the proposal and avoid a civil war.
The Lebanese government is set to convene on Friday for a highly anticipated cabinet session to discuss the army plan, though it's unclear if a vote will be taken on whether to adopt the plan. It remains unclear if the Shiite ministers aligned with Hezbollah and its allies will attend the session, which would rule out the adoption of the plan by consensus. But with the ministers present, the plan could be endorsed with a majority vote of those present.
However, the plan’s details and its enforcement have sparked sharp divisions between the Lebanese authorities — represented by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam — on one side, and the Shiite duo of Hezbollah and the Amal movement, along with their political allies, on the other.
Political divisions
