U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, at the Munich Security Conference, February 15, 2025.(Credit: Thomas Kienzle/AFP.)
BEIRUT — U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said Thursday evening in Tel Aviv, where he was speaking the day after his visit to Lebanon, that "it’s time for Hezbollah to go” raising the threat of a "plan B," in other words, disarmament by force, should the American roadmap fail.
Graham emphasized to reporters that Israel's 12-day war against Iran in June, during which the United States bombed nuclear sites, had reduced Iran's influence and capabilities in the region to a minimum since 1979.
He highlighted that the government's decision to disarm militias, including Hezbollah, was an important step.
"If Hezbollah were actually to be disarmed, it would deal a huge blow to Iran and open the door to a better future for Lebanon," he insisted, assuring that he told the Lebanese government that "no one will invest in the country as long as Hezbollah remains armed, able to sow chaos in the region, and there will be no serious military or economic support from Washington under these conditions."
Direct dialogue between Beirut and Tel Aviv
He emphasized that, in this context, attention should be paid to "the plan for the disarmament of the Lebanese Army, which is due to be presented next week," and should propose a roadmap for handing over the arsenals of armed groups by the end of the year.
He also stated that "the decision to end the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon [UNIFIL,] in operation since 1978 and whose deployment should end by 2027, is "an opportunity for the Lebanese Army to replace" UNIFIL, whom he called "ineffective."
On Thursday evening, the United Nations Security Council approved a renewal of the U.N. force's mandate, but for only one year.
The Lebanese Army will thus be able to "prove to the Lebanese, to the Israelis and to other actors that it now has capabilities it did not have before," said the Republican senator, who expressed hope "that Lebanon and Israel will engage in direct dialogue on how to transition from UNIFIL to Lebanese military control" of the border zone.
The 'plan B' against Hezbollah
Raising his tone, he then threatened to "resort to plan B" if a peaceful solution could not be implemented to disarm Hezbollah: namely, "military force."
"Hezbollah must disappear, its members are trained and loyal to Iran," he declared. “If we cannot reach a peaceful disarmament solution for Hezbollah, then we need to look at Plan B. Plan B is disarming Hezbollah by military force,” he said, referring to the potential role the Lebanese Army could play in this "plan B."
Graham was part of an American delegation that came to Beirut to meet with top officials, as part of negotiations to ensure the proper implementation of the cease-fire agreement that ended 13 months of war between Hezbollah and the Israeli army.
Meanwhile, the question of Hezbollah's disarmament is raising the stakes in Lebanon, with Hezbollah categorically refusing to hand over its arsenal to the army. After the American delegation's tour, including envoys Tom Barrack and Morgan Ortagus, the situation became even more tense, with Hezbollah and Amal standing firm.
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