A senior Hezbollah official has characterized a recent Lebanese cabinet session as a chance to avoid further instability, despite its focus on disarming his group. Following the meeting, which centered on an army plan to establish a state monopoly on weapons, Mahmoud Qmati told Reuters that the group viewed the discussion as “an opportunity to return to wisdom and reason, preventing the country from slipping into the unknown.” The statement suggests a diplomatic, though guarded, response from the Iranian-backed political and military organization.
The Lebanese cabinet formally welcomed the military’s proposal on Friday, which explicitly calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah. In its statement, the government directed the army to begin executing the plan; however, it notably declined to set any concrete timeframe for its implementation. This lack of a deadline reflects the significant political and practical challenges inherent in the initiative.
Further tempering expectations, the cabinet statement cautioned that the army itself has limited capabilities to carry out such a monumental task. It also directly linked the plan’s viability to regional security, explicitly noting that continued Israeli military operations in Lebanese territory would severely hamper the army’s progress and ability to implement the disarmament strategy.
The situation underscores the deep complexities of Lebanon’s political landscape, where Hezbollah wields considerable power. While the cabinet’s move represents a formal endorsement of a long-standing demand to consolidate military power under the state, the absence of immediate steps and the cited limitations indicate that any process of disarmament will be fraught with difficulty and is unlikely to begin imminently.
