DUBAI: The government of Lebanon recently gave the army instructions to draft a strategy to disarm all armed groups and reinstate the state’s exclusive weaponry. Many saw it as an attempt to disarm Hezbollah. But despite appeals from around the world for Hezbollah to give up what’s left of its heavy armament, the action has set off a political tit-for-tat that now raises the possibility of a new civil war in the nation.
President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have tried to create a national consensus behind Hezbollah laying down its weapons as Israeli bombings continue in the south and the US increases pressure.
The majority of Lebanese citizens support the actions, according to a recent Gallup poll that polled a random sample of 1,010 people from throughout the nation, omitting Hezbollah strongholds in southern Beirut and other areas like Baalbek.
Approximately 79% of respondents told Gallup that they supported the Lebanese state’s exclusive right to keep weapons, while only 19% disagreed. The fact that 69% of Lebanese Shiites, who make up Hezbollah’s political base, opposed disarming non-state entities while only 29% agreed highlights how divided Lebanese politics and society are.
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