Attack, concede, stall: Hezbollah’s options as Lebanon advances disarmament plan
Despite mounting US pressure on the government to disarm the Shiite group, its leader, Naim Qassem, says it will not surrender its weapons.
BEIRUT — US and Israeli demands that the Lebanese government disarm Hezbollah have put unprecedented pressure on the Iran-backed group, leaving it with few choices beyond confrontation, concession or calculated delay to avoid a forced disarmament.
The pressure on Hezbollah to disarm intensified in early August, when Prime Minister Nawaf Salam instructed the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to draft a plan, due Aug. 31, for dismantling all militias by the year’s end. A majority of the cabinet also voted to endorse key points of a US roadmap that makes an end to Israeli strikes contingent on Hezbollah's complete disarmament. Ministers from Hezbollah and the allied Shiite Amal political bloc withheld their endorsement, walking out of the cabinet session in protest.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah continues to reject calls for its unconditional disarmament, arguing instead for national dialogue on a comprehensive defense strategy, though only if Israel first withdraws from the Lebanese territory it occupies and halts military strikes on Lebanon — a move some analysts see as a stalling tactic.
The government’s expressed intent to restore the state’s monopoly over weapons and Hezbollah’s refusal to hand over its arms are fueling a political standoff that's leaving both sides with limited options.
