‘Opportunity for wisdom’: Hezbollah approves of Lebanon’s plan of monopoly over weapons; Israeli offensive still looms

Lebanese army (AP)

Hezbollah official Mahmoud Qmati said on Saturday that the group viewed Friday’s cabinet session on the army’s proposal to create a state monopoly on arms as “an opportunity to return to wisdom and reason, preventing the country from slipping into the unknown,” as quoted by Reuters. During Friday’s session, Lebanon’s cabinet endorsed the army’s plan to disarm Hezbollah, noting that implementation would begin without a set timeframe and warning that the military’s capabilities remained within boundaries. The cabinet also stressed that continued military actions by Israel in Lebanon could slow down the army’s progress. Paul Morcos, the Lebanese information minister, also asserted that Israel had failed to honor the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire that ended the latest Israel-Hezbollah conflict in November last year. The Israel-Hezbollah conflict began after the Iran-backed group fired rockets at northern Israel in support of Hamas following the October 7 attack.The US-brokered ceasefire required both Hezbollah and Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon, but Israel has kept troops in areas it considers strategic and continues strikes in response to what it claims as ceasefire violations.“Israel, like Lebanon, has clear obligations under the agreement,” Morcos was quoted as saying by the Times of Israel. “However, its continued violations are proof that it is reneging on these commitments and pose a serious threat to regional security and stability.”Lebanon’s cabinet had previously asked the army to prepare a plan that would give the state exclusive control over weapons. The decision angered Hezbollah, which argued that such measures only benefit Israel.Israel also indicated it might reduce its military presence in southern Lebanon if the Lebanese army took action against the Iran-backed militia. US envoy Thomas Barrack, who met Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, called the move “historic.”Barrack also emphasized that any disarmament plan must take into account the livelihoods of tens of thousands of Hezbollah fighters and their families, who depend on Iranian funding. “When we say disarm Hezbollah, we are talking about 40,000 people who are being paid by Iran,” he said. “We cannot simply ask them to hand over their weapons and tell them to plant olive trees. We need to create alternatives.”Lebanese prime minister Nawaf Salam said earlier that the country was on an “irreversible path” to place all weapons under state authority, adding that the army would present a comprehensive proposal by next week.However, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem then voiced strong opposition. In a recorded speech aired last month, he criticized the government’s decision and urged officials to “reconsider.”