BEIRUT: Amid concerns that Israel may step up strikes if ministers do not officially commit to disarming the Iran-backed organization, Washington increased pressure on them to do so. As a result, Lebanon’s cabinet will convene Tuesday to address Hezbollah’s weapons. The cabinet will consider the destiny of Hezbollah’s weapons for the first time during the meeting, which is set for 3:00 p.m. (1200 GMT) at Lebanon’s presidential palace. This was unthinkable just two years ago, when the group was at its most powerful.
After Hezbollah’s battle with Israel last year, which claimed the lives of thousands of fighters and its senior commanders while destroying a large portion of its rocket arsenal, pressure from the US and the group’s internal rivals to surrender its weapons has increased. In exchange for Israel ceasing its attacks on Lebanon and removing its forces from five remaining positions in southern Lebanon, US ambassador Thomas Barrack presented Lebanese leaders with a plan in June to completely disarm Hezbollah.
A requirement of the plan was that Lebanon’s government issue a cabinet resolution explicitly promising to disarm Hezbollah. According to Reuters last week, Washington’s patience wore thin as Barrack made many trips to Lebanon to press for progress on the plan. In order for negotiations to proceed, it put pressure on Lebanon’s ministers to quickly make the public commitment. However, Lebanese officials and diplomats warn that such a clear commitment might lead to tensions across communities in Lebanon, where Hezbollah and its weapons continue to have strong support among Shiite Muslims.
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