Calls for Hezbollah's disarmament have taken center stage in Lebanon since last year's devastating war with Israel, which upended a power balance long dominated by the Shi'ite Muslim group, News.Az reports citing The Jerusalem Post.
Lebanon reaches critical point on Hezbollah disarmament
Reuters
Lebanon's government is scheduled to discuss a plan on Friday aimed at disarming Hezbollah, marking a key moment in the ongoing standoff between the Iran-backed group, which refuses to surrender its weapons, and its opponents who are pushing for disarmament in accordance with US demands.
Despite mounting pressure, Hezbollah has rejected any move to dismantle its arsenal, leaving a deep divide between the group and its Shi'ite ally Amal on the one hand, and other Lebanese, among them leading Christian and Sunni politicians.
Friday's cabinet session takes place against a backdrop of an escalation in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, adding to fears in Lebanon of further attacks if Hezbollah does not disarm. The IDF said it targeted a site where Hezbollah stored engineering tools being used for "the organization's recovery."
Longstanding tensions in Lebanon over Hezbollah's arms have sharpened since the administration led by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam tasked the US-backed army on August 5 with devising a plan to establish a state monopoly on arms by the end of the year.
Any cabinet decision opposed by Hezbollah is likely to prompt a walk-out by Shi'ite ministers loyal to the group and Amal, stripping the government of sectarian consensus. One possibility could be to delay a vote on the plan.
The army, drawn from Lebanon's mosaic of religious groups, split along sectarian lines at the start of the 1975-90 civil war, and has been widely regarded as the guarantor of civil peace since being rebuilt after that conflict.
Israel last week signaled it would scale back its military presence in southern Lebanon if the army took action to disarm Hezbollah.
But Hezbollah has ruled out disarming, saying its weapons protect Lebanon from Israeli attack. Senior Iranian official Ali Akbar Velayati criticized Beirut's disarmament moves last month.
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