US senator raises possibility of defence pact with Lebanon if Hezbollah disarmed

Republican Lindsey Graham in Beirut says he hopes to see 'Lebanese army, well-trained, well-equipped' to protect all Lebanese

US senator Lindsey Graham said on Monday during a visit to Beirut that he envisions a future defence agreement between America and Lebanon, provided the country strengthens its army and curbs the influence of Hezbollah.

Mr Graham said he hoped to see “a Lebanese army, well-trained, well-equipped, that protects all Lebanese and has respect among every community". He added that such a force could pave the way for deeper ties with Washington, including a defence pact.

"It is in our country's interest to make sure this country [Lebanon] survives, because you represent the best hope for the region," he added.

Separately, he told This Is Beirut that he was “optimistic” because of the Lebanese diaspora, estimated at about 20 million worldwide, which has “done very well”. “We have a lot of Lebanese in our country,” he said.

The US senator urged Lebanon’s leaders to make “hard decisions quickly”, warning that Hezbollah’s continued presence as an armed group was “a wall to growth and integration into the region".

The Lebanese Cabinet recently voted to endorse a US plan to disarm Hezbollah and other militant groups, and to assert a state monopoly on weapons.

“This is a very pluralistic society. One thing you have going for you is that Christianity is able to thrive here, worship freely, do business and live in peace – something that is not true in much of the Middle East,” Mr Graham said.

“My advice to you is to keep that diversity and try to find a way to get Hezbollah disarmed, because if you can't achieve that, then a lot of doors stay locked. But the day that Hezbollah is disarmed, and the Lebanese military is the protector of the country for all Lebanese, then many doors could open.”

Mr Graham warned that as long as Hezbollah kept its weapons, Lebanon’s growth, integration with the West and regional stability would remain limited.

“The Lebanese people have to decide to disarm Hezbollah, not me," he said.

The senator's trip to Lebanon included an earlier visit to the US embassy, where he paid tribute to those killed in terrorist attacks in the 1983 Hezbollah bombings of the mission and a marine barracks.

The visit appears to be a message to Lebanese authorities that expanded relations with the US, including aid, will depend on progress in dismantling Hezbollah.

Mr Graham has long been a proponent of stabilising the Middle East through ending Iranian support for its proxies in the region.

He told The National last year that the biggest regional problem was an “out of control Iran”, and that US President Donald Trump would “put them in a box”.

His visit comes as US envoys Tom Barrack and Morgan Ortagus were due in Lebanon after meetings in Israel, where they reportedly pressed Israel to scale back its attacks on the country.

Mr Barrack, the US envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkey, told The National last month that the Lebanese armed forces are widely regarded as the “best, neutral, reliable mediator” in the current crisis but it operates “on a shoestring budget”, forcing UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, Unifil, to fill the gap with 10,000 troops.

Mr Barrack met Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun last week and said afterwards that Lebanese leaders had “done their part” and that “now what we need is Israel to comply with that equal handshake”.