Cabinet meeting on weapons: Will Hezbollah and Amal play along?

Since Tuesday evening, all eyes have been on Amal and Hezbollah. After it was announced that the Cabinet will hold a meeting on Aug. 5 to discuss the highly sensitive issue of Hezbollah’s disarmament, questions have been arising about how ministers affiliated with the duo will respond. Decided after a meeting between President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, a Cabinet session on the issue has long been a taboo for Amal and Hezbollah, who condition any new concession on weapons on guarantees regarding Israeli and U.S. intentions. If this refusal to debate is confirmed, Tuesday’s session — and possibly the entire Cabinet — could be at risk.Aware of these growing pressures, coupled with the risk that the country could once again fall prey to the Israeli war machine, the Lebanese authorities have put in place a plan to finalize...