The Lebanese army has begun arresting members of Hezbollah and other non-state actors in accordance with an unprecedented cabinet decision outlawing the Iran-backed group’s military and security activities, two security sources told The National on Wednesday.
The decision to ban Hezbollah’s military wing – an unprecedented move taken earlier this week – marks the first such step amid widespread anger over the group’s move to reignite war with Israel on behalf of its ally, Iran, after 15 months of relative stability.
The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) on Wednesday announced the arrests of 26 Lebanese and one Palestinian in several areas over the past two days for illegally possessing weapons and ammunition, saying "exceptional security measures are being implemented to prevent armed displays in various regions".
One security source described those detained as “a mix” of non-state actors, including Hezbollah members carrying Kalashnikov rifles.
“Each case involves illegal, unlicensed weapons,” he said. A second source confirmed those arrested were carrying “individual and light weapons”.
Both sources stressed that the LAF was not “necessarily” conducting an arrest campaign against Hezbollah – a reflection of the political and security sensitivity surrounding the issue.
Hezbollah declined to comment.
Any perception that the army is directly pursuing Hezbollah risks triggering civil war, pitting the military against the powerful paramilitary group.
The arrest campaign appears to be part of a broader effort to mitigate the damage from Hezbollah’s renewed confrontation with Israel and to signal that the state is attempting to reassert authority within its borders.
A Western diplomatic source told The National that the success of the ban on the group’s activities would directly shape the efforts of western allies to prevent “a major expansion of the conflict”.
“But success will depend on the authorities’ ability to enforce the ban on the ground.”
However, the LAF is chronically underfunded and overstretched, raising questions about its ability to sustain or deepen the campaign against the more powerful Lebanese group.
A senior judicial official acknowledged implementation of the ban would be gradual “because we don’t have full control”.
“Does it mean we can arrest all of them? No. It will be progressive,” he said.
The developments come as the LAF withdrew this week from several positions along the southern border after Israel said its troops were authorised to advance into and seize Lebanese territory.
The decision to withdraw LAF troops was made because soldiers manning the checkpoints lacked the capacity to defend themselves against Israel’s advances, a security source told The National at the time.
Meanwhile Hezbollah, which was meant to have disarmed south of the Litani River under the November 2024 ceasefire, appears to have quickly rearmed in the south and continues launching attacks against Israeli troops.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israel was to halt attacks on Lebanon and fully withdraw its troops. Instead, the Israeli military maintained positions at least five points inside Lebanese territory and continued striking the south and other areas of the country on a near-daily basis – although not with the intensity seen during the war.
Thousands of people were displaced in the last war, and the vast majority of people from villages near the border have not been able to return or rebuild due to Israeli strikes over the last year and a half. Meanwhile, the US and Gulf allies tied Lebanon’s reconstruction to Hezbollah’s nationwide disarmament – something which Hezbollah had explicitly and repeatedly rejected, despite its willingness to disarm south of the Litani.
For now, Lebanon is in the throes of yet another war between Hezbollah and Israel. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced from south Lebanon, parts of Beirut, and the Bekaa. Israel is once more striking with ferocity across parts of the country, while Hezbollah, more unpopular than ever, appears to be fighting an existential war on two fronts: against Israel, and within Lebanon.
