Decisive Test for Lebanon Amid Foreign Pressure to Disarm Hezbollah

Date: 03 September 2025 - 21:47

News ID: ۱۴۳۱۴۴

BEIRUT (Dispatches) – Lebanon’s upcoming cabinet session on weapons regulation is shaping up to be a flashpoint, with ministers from the Amal Movement and Hezbollah expected to attend but voicing firm opposition to any fixed deadlines for enforcing the government’s plan.
The cabinet is scheduled to convene on Friday, at 3 p.m. at the Presidential Palace in Baabda.
Hezbollah sources told Al-Manar that rigid timelines risk undermining cooperation, particularly in southern Lebanon near the Litani River, a sensitive area facing persistent Israeli threats.
The sources also warned Prime Minister Nawaf Salam against pursuing policies that could destabilize the country, cautioning that confrontational moves risk national ruin despite advice from local and regional actors to avoid escalation.
Hezbollah, long regarded as Lebanon’s most effective force against Israeli occupation and aggression, remains pivotal in defending Lebanese sovereignty amid a fragile state security apparatus.
Hezbollah’s armed presence is widely seen within Lebanon as a crucial deterrent against ongoing Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty. Israel’s occupation and repeated airstrikes, particularly in the south, have intensified fears of renewed conflict.
Against this backdrop, Hezbollah’s military capabilities are viewed by many as Lebanon’s last credible shield, compensating for the state’s limited ability to enforce its sovereignty.
The cabinet is expected to review a weapons control strategy that aims to place arms under state authority, but political divisions run deep. Hezbollah and its allies have reiterated their refusal to disarm, warning that such measures threaten national stability and security. The party’s leadership insists that disarmament is not just a political issue but a matter of protecting Lebanon from external aggression.
As Lebanon grapples with a prolonged economic crisis and regional instability, the coming cabinet session could determine the balance between state sovereignty and the resistance’s role in countering Israel’s expansionist ambitions.
With Hezbollah’s resistance seen as a bulwark against occupation, any move to disarm the group risks undermining Lebanon’s defense in an increasingly volatile region.