Cabinet meeting: Hezbollah supporters mobilize as calls grow for disarmament

BEIRUT — Ahead of Tuesday’s 3 p.m. Cabinet meeting on Hezbollah disarmament and following Monday night protests by Hezbollah supporters in Beirut, several politicians stressed the urgent need to disarm Hezbollah after the recent war with Israel.

Nawaf Salam's government is expected to meet today at the Baabda Palace to discuss the handover of Hezbollah's arsenal. The party does not reject the principle of a debate on the state's monopoly on weapons, but conditions any disarmament on a prior Israeli withdrawal and the end of cease-fire violations, as well as the release of prisoners and the launch of reconstruction efforts after the recent war.

In a video published Monday night, Hezbollah asserted that resistance was "the only choice and support for the Lebanese Army." Political contacts continued Monday night in an effort to reach a formula the government might adopt Tuesday.

According to our information, the party made its participation conditional on prior knowledge of the decisions that would result from the meeting.

On the same topic

Attempts to reach a consensus continue ahead of Cabinet meeting

'Labayka Nasrallah'

Protesting the Cabinet meeting on the party's disarmament, Hezbollah supporters paraded on motorcycles Monday night in several neighborhoods of Beirut's southern suburbs.

Videos posted on social media show dozens of motorcyclists waving the party's yellow flags as they drove through neighborhoods in the southern suburbs, chanting "Labayka Nasrallah" (at your command, Nasrallah), in reference to the former leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, assassinated by an Israeli strike on Sept. 27, 2024.

Reacting to this display, Kataeb MP Nadim Gemayel called Monday night "on the security services to fulfill their responsibilities as soon as possible." "If the security services do nothing against these intimidation attempts before tomorrow's session, no one will stand by idly," he warned, cautioning against confrontations between Hezbollah supporters and their opponents.

According to information reported on social media, security services blocked access to Salam's residence Monday night. Hezbollah also reportedly prepared several trucks loaded with dirt and debris to block roads if necessary Tuesday, according to local media.

In recent days, those close to Hezbollah have not hesitated to threaten a new show of force, similar to that of May 7, 2008. At the time, Fouad Siniora's government tried to break Hezbollah's security grip, to which the party responded by storming West Beirut and the Mountain.

'Collusion with the Israeli-American plan'

In statements Monday night to NBN, Hezbollah MP Ali Mokdad said that the Cabinet meeting "should not have taken place" and that those calling for the party's disarmament "are in collusion with the Israeli-American plan."

"By tomorrow morning, we will make a decision based on the response given to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berry and Hezbollah." Sunni tribes, for their part, on Monday expressed support for the authorities and the Lebanese Army against Hezbollah.

"We call for respect for the Lebanese Constitution and the Taif agreements (...) and for ensuring a monopoly of arms in the hands of the army," these tribes said in a statement. In addition, a call for a demonstration Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Riad al-Solh Square "in support of President Aoun's call for a monopoly on arms in the hands of the army" was launched by the "Free Lebanese" group.

Dig deeper

'I'm scared of another May 7': Lebanese react ahead of Cabinet meeting on Hezbollah's weapons

'Take into account only Lebanon's interests'

A few hours before the government session, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said that "we will take into account only Lebanon's interests and will ensure to do everything that does not threaten its security." According to the daily an-Nahar, Berri also said he was "in favor" of the participation of Amal and Hezbollah ministers in Cabinet and "opposed [to its] boycott."

Several political figures have emphasized the necessity of the state's monopoly on weapons. Justice Minister Adel Nassar said in an interview with MTV that the government "will demand a timetable for the handover of arms," saying that "it is unacceptable for Hezbollah to drag the Lebanese people with it toward suicide."

MP Paula Yacoubian, for her part, said that "returning to the fold of institutions is no longer a political luxury, but a condition for the nation's survival." "No legitimacy surpasses that of the state, and no weapon should prevail over its own," she added.

Hezbollah MP Kassem Hachem told the news site al-Nashra that political contacts related to the session would continue up until the final moments before the Cabinet meeting, with the aim of reaching "a consensus position" that takes Lebanon's interests into account.

The international community insists on the need for the country to begin the process of reclaiming the monopoly on arms and to develop a clear implementation plan with set deadlines.

Israel, believes it has achieved victory and that Lebanon, like Hezbollah, is in a position of weakness after the strikes they suffered. This means, according to Tel Aviv, that Hezbollah must make the expected concessions and that Lebanon should commit to the proposed path.