Ahead of Tuesday's Cabinet meeting, Hezbollah disarmament continues to divide

Hezbollah MP Ali Fayad warned Sunday against the possibility that Israel and the United States might turn the issue of disarming the party from a "Lebanese-Israeli problem into a Lebanese-Lebanese problem," emphasizing that Israeli withdrawal and a cessation of hostilities remained the priority.

This position comes two days before Tuesday's crucial Cabinet meeting, which is expected to set a timetable for the disarmament process of armed factions in Lebanon, including Hezbollah.

Read more

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

"We do not deny the magnitude of the dangers, the intensity of the pressures, or the severity of the threats facing the country, but we must be fully aware that the worst scenario would be for the Israelis and Americans to succeed in turning the issue from a Lebanese-Israeli problem into a Lebanese-Lebanese problem, thereby allowing the Israeli to remain a mere spectator of our conflicts and divisions," Fayad stressed during a ceremony in southern Lebanon.

Unified Lebanese position

He noted that the Lebanese "must show foresight and wisdom in managing this issue, as well as courage, firmness and resilience in the face of threats and pressures," adding that "the more unified or coordinated the Lebanese position is, the more capable we will be of withstanding pressures and strengthening our internal front."

Read more

Aoun's (last?) advice to Hezbollah and its base: Bet on the state

The MP also emphasized "the necessity that the Lebanese position respects the order of priorities mentioned by President Joseph Aoun, particularly that cessation of hostilities and Israeli withdrawal must constitute the absolute priority, before any other discussion."

Fayad stated that "nothing suggests, guarantees or indicates that the Israeli intends to withdraw from the five hills or to stop its hostile acts, regardless of the commitments made by Lebanon, while the country has fulfilled its obligations related to the cease-fire agreement."

The MP's comments come as the Israeli army maintains a presence in southern Lebanon at five points it considers "strategic," and continues near-daily strikes on presumed Hezbollah fighters.

'Unanimity around Hezbollah'

Jaafarite Mufti Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan, who is close to Hezbollah, called in a statement Sunday for "unanimity around Hezbollah," given that Lebanon "is at existential risk" and should therefore not "be stripped of its resistance asset."

"The nature and scale of Israeli threats push us to adopt a defense strategy that diversifies the country's defensive capabilities, because it is not possible to fight Israel openly and with weak capabilities," he said.

"On Tuesday, the government will have the country in its hands, and any mistake regarding the weapons of the resistance will put Lebanon at Israel's mercy," the religious leader continued. "Any discussion about the weapons of the resistance can only be based on a defensive strategy, and the government's role is to build up national defensive capabilities, not to remove or weaken assets."

According to him, "any attempt to override the opinion of Parliament Speaker [Nabih] Berri is tantamount to suicide."

Akkar MP Walid Baarini, from the National Moderation bloc, expressed confidence that "the government meeting on Tuesday will resolve" the issue of Hezbollah's weapons. Speaking to his visitors on Sunday, Baarini addressed the party, making it "assume responsibility for protecting Lebanon, because it can protect it by its decision to surrender its weapons, or destroy it by refusing to give them up."

Former Labor Minister Mustafa Bayram, also close to Hezbollah and speaking at a funeral ceremony in memory of a slain Hezbollah member, expressed his opposition to the party handing over its weapons. "Does sovereignty consist of talking about resuming the decision of war and peace while the sound of a drone flies over the Serail? And is it sovereignty when one is unable to defend oneself?" he questioned.

Opposition to the party intensified over the weekend, with calls for clear decisions on dismantling its arsenal. Justice Minister Adel Nassar posted Sunday on X that "if Hezbollah chooses suicide by refusing to surrender its weapons, we will not allow it to drag Lebanon and the Lebanese people down with it."