Lebanon pressured to approve Hezbollah disarmament in cabinet, sources in Beirut claim

Washington is also seeking to link the future of Lebanon and Syria’s relations with Israel, according to sources

Hezbollah supporters chant slogans during a gathering outside the Iranian Embassy in Beirut. EPA

Lebanon is under pressure from the US to include Hezbollah’s disarmament in its official government agenda as soon as possible, Lebanese political sources confirmed.

The sources said Washington is also seeking to link the future of Lebanon and Syria’s relations with Israel, pushing for a form of truce that would fall short of full normalisation, something that could be pursued in the near future.

“According to a document recently presented by US envoys, Lebanon is expected to hand over Hezbollah’s weapons within a set timeframe, with the cabinet required to formally approve the process to give it legal weight,” said a parliamentary source familiar with the document.

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“The demand for Lebanon to implement the US document may be a prelude to raising the issue of normalisation with Israel or, at the very least, to concluding a new armistice agreement to replace the current one,” added the source.

A government official said the US is indirectly linking commitment to this process with progress on the return of Syrian refugees and the resumption of reconstruction and aid efforts.

“What is happening in Syria and Lebanon is similar: attempts to exert military pressure to extract political concessions, as is being done with the Syrian government, which seeks international legitimacy, and with the Lebanese government, which is in need of economic assistance,” added the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Hezbollah was severely weakened during a year-long war with Israel that ended in November. Israel’s military campaign destroyed much of Hezbollah’s infrastructure, eliminated the group’s leader and senior commanders, and infiltrated its security network.

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Under the terms of a ceasefire, Hezbollah must pull all military equipment and fighters out of southern Lebanon, and all non-state militant groups must be disarmed across the country.

Despite the truce, Israel continues to bomb southern Lebanon almost daily and maintains control over five military posts along the southern border. It has also struck Beirut four times since the ceasefire agreement was sealed.

Meanwhile, Lebanon remains under international pressure to reassert full state sovereignty. President Joseph Aoun has repeatedly said the decision to centralise arms under state authority has been taken, but insists this can be achieved only through dialogue rather than force.

Rephrasing the demands

Lebanon, seeking international aid to rebuild, is not rejecting the process completely, said the sources.

“Consultations between the government and the parliament are focusing on the idea of rephrasing the US document to make it more acceptable to the Lebanese side, specifically by emphasising mutual steps from both Lebanon and Israel,” explained the parliamentary source.

“This would prevent it from appearing as a list of demands imposed solely on Lebanon, and would also include the principle of Israeli withdrawal from occupied points in the south, even if done gradually.”

A source close to Hezbollah claimed that the US demand, which calls for the Lebanese government to agree to disarmament before securing Israeli withdrawal from occupied positions and halting “aggression against people”, risks pushing Lebanon into “a major internal crisis”.

“It is no coincidence that the US envoy to Lebanon, Tom Barrack, is the same as the one assigned to Syria. This reflects a unified US vision that sees the movement on both tracks as intertwined and aiming towards similar goals, particularly securing an agreement with Israel and safeguarding its interests,” said the source.

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Last week, after 12 days of war, US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Throughout the fighting, Hezbollah – once considered Iran’s most powerful proxy – offered only verbal support to its patron, without intervening militarily.

Hezbollah’s decision to stay out of the Iran-Israel war was the result of internal and external pressures as the Lebanese militant group faces growing vulnerabilities, a senior US official told The National.

“The resistance force – I'll call them that – is now under pressure to preserve themselves. They've taken a knee,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “There’s nothing that would stop the country to the south [Israel] from carrying out much greater aggression if they [Hezbollah] were to get involved at this point,” he added.

The US official said that Tehran had asked the group not to enter the war to retain “what is left of their strength”.

Hezbollah is still believed to possess medium and long-range missiles, and it continues to command a broad Shiite support base.