Hezbollah has called on Lebanon’s leaders to reconsider their plan to disarm the group, warning it could destabilise the country in the absence of reciprocal measures by Israel.
The Lebanese cabinet voted two weeks ago to endorse a US plan to disarm Hezbollah and other militants and assert a state monopoly on weapons. The contentious decision was made in the absence of Shiite ministers, highlighting deep divisions on the issue.
After meeting Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun on Monday, US envoy Tom Barrack said Lebanese leaders had “done their part” and that “now what we need is Israel to comply with that equal handshake”.
But Hezbollah does not expect that to happen, said the group’s spokesman and head of media relations Youssef Al Zein. “We hope we’re wrong, but we don’t expect that Barrack will return with a positive Israeli response,” he told The National.
He accused the US and allies of “applying what the Israeli entity wants as soon as possible – even at the cost of Lebanon’s stability”.
Mr Al Zein called on the Lebanese government to “take a step back and re-evaluate, not only waiting for the Israeli response or approval, but a step back to rectify a decision that could put the country in an unstable position”.
Iran-backed Hezbollah has repeatedly said it will not accept a disarmament plan until Israel withdraws from Lebanese territory and stops its attacks on the country – a commitment Israel has yet to make.
Israeli military's chief of staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir boasted last week that air strikes on Lebanon had breached the ceasefire about 600 times.
Hezbollah is concerned that the US and allies are dictating the pace and substance of Lebanese decision-making on national security. But the group's opponents in Lebanon accuse it of prioritising Iran’s interests at the cost of Lebanon’s stability.
Hezbollah claims the state itself has failed to enforce the ceasefire's obligations on Israel and that the Lebanese leadership “justifies every step it takes on the basis of foreign pressure”, Mr Al Zein said.
Lebanon, a small nation with a historically weak and chronically underfunded national army, has long been under the sway of competing foreign powers. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has warned there would be “no life” for Lebanon if the government confronted the group, accusing it of yielding to US demands on Israel’s behalf.
Iran has told Lebanese leaders that the group cannot be disarmed as the prospect of a new war with Israel grows, according to sources briefed on meetings of Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani in Beirut last week. Hezbollah and its arsenal serve as Iran’s first line of defence against Israel, which remains determined to neutralise the threat posed by the group.
Mr Al Zein said Lebanon is being pressured to offer “free gifts” to Israel, “without any guarantees in return,” even as Israeli forces continue to occupy five strategic positions in southern Lebanon and conduct near-daily attacks despite the ceasefire announced last November.
“The Israeli military’s chief of staff walked into Lebanese territory and bragged that they’ve killed more than 240 Lebanese citizens and conducted over 600 air raids since the ceasefire was declared,” he said. “And not a single Lebanese authority responded to this.”
Hezbollah maintains that it has shown willingness to abide by the ceasefire by disarming south of the Litani River. “We’ve shown our commitment to the ceasefire through our actions,” Mr Al Zein said.
Rather than insisting on Israel's withdrawal and an end to Israeli attacks, “the Lebanese state has not committed to the ceasefire in the same way”, he added.
Israel carried out a wave of bombings on Wednesday night, claiming it struck several Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. On Thursday morning, an Israeli drone strike killed a man riding a motorbike in southern Lebanon, too.
