Lebanon’s cabinet yesterday welcomed a plan by the army that would disarm Hizbollah and said the military would begin executing it, without setting a timeframe for implementation and cautioning that the army had limited capabilities.
A national divide over Hizbollah’s disarmament has taken centre stage in Lebanon since last year’s devastating war with Israel, which upended a power balance long dominated by the Iran-backed group.
The US and Saudi Arabia have ramped up calls for the group to give up arms.
But Hizbollah has pushed back, saying it would be a serious misstep to even discuss disarmament while Israel continues its air strikes on Lebanon and occupies swathes of territory in the south. Four people were killed in Israeli strikes on Wednesday.
Yesterday, Lebanon’s cabinet met for three hours, which included the plan’s presentation by army commander Rodolphe Haykal.
Lebanese information minister Paul Morcos told reporters after the session that the government welcomed the plan but stopped short of saying the cabinet had formally passed it.
He said the army would begin implementing the plan according to its “limited” logistical, material and personnel capabilities, which might require “additional time (and) additional effort”.
Morcos said that Israel had not yet shown any commitment to a US roadmap aimed at disarming Hizbollah in exchange for a halt to Israeli military operations in Lebanon, and which the cabinet approved last month.
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