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Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri said Saturday in an interview with Qatari outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Hezbollah’s weapons are a “source of deep division among the Lebanese,” and that the Shiite terror group “no longer enjoys the same influence it once had.”
Speaking on the 50th anniversary of Lebanon’s civil war, Mitri said the country had been split into two camps in recent years: “One that boasts about Hezbollah’s weapons and draws political, social and economic power from them — and another that opposes the use of arms to impose such influence.”
He said the latter camp rejects “the existence of an armed organization outside the state’s legitimate authority.” While the divide still exists, he noted it has diminished.
Hezbollah’s declining influence, according to Mitri, is due in part to its ongoing war with Israel, which has “weakened and exhausted it,” and to a growing political consensus around principles such as the state's exclusive right to bear arms, the state’s authority over decisions of war and peace and its responsibility to reclaim all Lebanese territory.
He added that these principles have become more entrenched in Lebanese politics, altering the nature of the debate around Hezbollah’s weapons compared to the past.
Following a Hezbollah official’s statement last week that the group is open to talks on disarmament, a source close to the organization said most of its southern Lebanon bases have already been handed over to the Lebanese army.
Speaking anonymously to AFP, the source said that out of 265 Hezbollah outposts south of the Litani River, “around 190 have been transferred to the Lebanese army.” Under the ceasefire agreement signed in late November, Hezbollah is required to withdraw from all positions south of the river and dismantle its infrastructure there. Only the Lebanese army and UN monitors are permitted to operate in the area.
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On Thursday, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji addressed the disarmament issue, confirming that Beirut had been told it won’t receive international aid until all weapons in the country — north and south of the Litani — are brought under control.
Rajji said the message was reiterated by U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus, deputy to special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, during her visit to Lebanon early last week. According to him, the international community wants Lebanon to extend its sovereignty across its entire territory.
In an interview with Lebanese outlet LBCI, Ortagus compared Hezbollah to cancer and urged Lebanese authorities to speed up disarmament. “We continue to push the government to take all necessary steps to end hostilities, including the disarmament of Hezbollah and all militias,” she said.
Rajji denied that a timeline for disarmament was discussed but said Ortagus made clear that it should happen “as soon as possible.” He also called on the international community to pressure Israel to withdraw from five strategic points it still holds in southern Lebanon.
“We call on all countries to press Israel to withdraw from Lebanese territory it occupies. Doing so would eliminate Hezbollah’s main justification for retaining its weapons and bolster Lebanon’s position, which favors diplomacy to reclaim its land. So far, however, Israel refuses, citing security concerns.”
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Al-Jadeed TV reported that the Lebanese army has continued to disarm Hezbollah in recent days, even entering additional bases north of the Litani that the terror group had not previously handed over.
The channel also reported that the army is close to completing the dismantling of Hezbollah’s infrastructure across all areas south of the river. Sources told the outlet that weapons will be gradually confiscated, followed by a formal handover agreement with Hezbollah.