Beirut's decision to disarm Hezbollah by the end of 2025
Lebanon has set a date for the withdrawal of Hezbollah's weapons and the restoration of the state's monopoly on armed force. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam: ‘Lebanon could not remain forever hostage to armed logic.’ The Council of Ministers also approved a ‘roadmap’ presented by President Trump's special envoy, Tom Barrack, with the aim of ‘normalising’ relations with Israel. These decisions have sparked tensions in the country and within the government, but the risk of escalation seems to have been ruled out
Beirut (AsiaNews) - The Lebanese government has set the end of 2025 as the deadline for the disarmament of Hezbollah and other armed militias, including Palestinian ones, and for the return of the monopoly of the use of force to the state.
The decision, described as ‘historic’, was taken in two cabinet meetings held on 5 and 7 August. The government also adopted the objectives of the roadmap drawn up by US envoy Tom Barrack, which aims to normalise relations between Lebanon and Israel and withdraw the five Israeli observation posts still occupied in southern Lebanon.
The monopoly of armed force must be effective by the end of 2025, according to a military plan to be presented by the command council at the end of August.
The decisions were taken in a climate of external international pressure and strong internal tension, with four Shiite ministers withdrawing from the two sessions. Despite this, Labour Minister Mohammad Haidar, a Hezbollah member, said it was a ‘formal procedure’ that would not lead to a boycott of government meetings or collective resignations.
However, other voices suggest otherwise. The most hardline members of Hezbollah see the need to hand over their weapons (missiles and drones) as ‘capitulation to the Israeli enemy.’ On the other hand, many argue that, following the war in Lebanon and geopolitical changes in Syria and Iran, the party's weapons have lost their regional protective value and serve only to maintain the party's hegemony over the Lebanese state. This hegemony is said to have led to ‘losing the bet’ in the war in support of Hamas.
Some Shiite figures have raised doubts about the constitutionality of the government's decision, in the absence of full support from the Shiite community. Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem has called the government's decisions ‘null and void.’
Confirming the increasingly tense climate, demonstrations have multiplied in all Shiite-majority regions, where the need to keep arms is also justified by fears of a Sunni Islamist government in Syria.
Despite the tension, journalist Scarlett Haddad, who is close to Shiite circles, assures that there will be neither a political ‘divorce’ nor violent clashes between the army and Hezbollah.
In an exclusive interview with the daily newspaper An-Nahar on 6 August, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam vigorously defended his government's decision, stating that “national sovereignty cannot be negotiated, even under the pretext of community stability”. Salam added that “Lebanon cannot remain forever hostage to parallel armed logics”.
When asked about the risks of escalation, the prime minister replied that ‘every profound change meets with resistance, but the government's duty is to set the course and not give in to pressure.’ He also specified that the ‘roadmap’ entrusted to the army will be subject to open parliamentary review to ensure democratic oversight of the process.
President Trump's envoy to Lebanon, Tom Barrack, expressed his full support for the government's decision. In a post on his X account, he wrote: ‘Congratulations to the government for taking a historic, courageous and right decision this week. The resolutions adopted finally launch the implementation of the “One Nation, One Army” principle for Lebanon.’
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