Hezbollah fighters in modified all-terrain vehicles during a military parade near Mlita, South Lebanon, on May 21, 2023. (Credit: Jad Abou Jaoudeh/OLJ archives)
The Lebanese government’s historic decision to disarm Hezbollah marks both the culmination of a long struggle and the start of a process fraught with uncertainty and risk.Now largely obsolete in the face of Israeli military superiority — and with the prospect of rearmament weakened by the fall of the Assad regime — Hezbollah’s weapons have lost the semblance of legitimacy once granted by Cabinet declarations. Even using them for show on the domestic stage now amounts to open rebellion, a risk Hezbollah can no longer afford.Despite this reality, political intention alone cannot contain the weapons. Their presence, even "sterilized," in Hezbollah’s hands, remains a fundamental obstacle to the rule of law and public authority. It also carries the seeds of future confrontation with Israel, which is pursuing an increasingly...
The Lebanese government’s historic decision to disarm Hezbollah marks both the culmination of a long struggle and the start of a process fraught with uncertainty and risk.Now largely obsolete in the face of Israeli military superiority — and with the prospect of rearmament weakened by the fall of the Assad regime — Hezbollah’s weapons have lost the semblance of legitimacy once granted by Cabinet declarations. Even using them for show on the domestic stage now amounts to open rebellion, a risk Hezbollah can no longer afford.Despite this reality, political intention alone cannot contain the weapons. Their presence, even "sterilized," in Hezbollah’s hands, remains a fundamental obstacle to the rule of law and public authority. It also carries the seeds of future confrontation with Israel, which is pursuing an...
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