Joumblatt: Hezbollah must understand its missiles are now useless

L'Orient-Le Jour

7 hours ago

BEIRUT — The Druze leader and former president of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), Walid Joumblatt, spoke in favor of withdrawing heavy weapons from Hezbollah's arsenal on Saturday in an interview with the Saudi channel al-Arabiya.
"Hezbollah officials must understand that keeping heavy weapons and missiles serves no purpose. It's no longer useful, on the contrary, it will cause us problems and Lebanon will not stabilize. (...) It will cause us, and them [Hezbollah,] complete destruction," said the Druze leader, when asked about his position on the Shiite party's arsenal.
Hezbollah disarmament has been at the center of Lebanese and international political negotiations since the cease-fire that ended two months of all-out war with Israel took effect on Nov. 27, 2024.
No weapons outside those of the state
"I return to the idea of resistance," he added. "That does not detract from my historical condemnation of Western and Zionist Israeli occupation of Palestine but, at the very least, that's my position for Lebanon. Of course, this must come with the implementation of international decisions, among them the withdrawal of the Israeli army from occupied territories in Lebanon," he said, before reaffirming his support for the idea of a monopoly on weapons held by the state, as the PSP officially handed over its weapons at the end of June, hoping Hezbollah and Palestinian factions in Lebanon would do the same.
"We have reached an agreement with President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to implement all international decisions: there should not be a single weapon outside those of the state. This work has started in South Lebanon, but at the same time, Israeli bombings and killings have not stopped," he emphasized.
Asked about the "support war," whose front Hezbollah opened on Oct. 8, 2023 in solidarity with the Gaza Strip and the Hamas movement, Joumblatt again revisited his earlier stance in favor of an "equilibrium of terror" that Hezbollah's arsenal imposed on Israel, according to him and the pro-Iranian party's supporters.
"At that time, I thought the [Hezbollah] military arsenal and missiles could hinder and deter Israel, but perhaps that was a mistake. Things have changed since the 2006 war," he conceded.
No disarmament by force
The Druze leader finally said that this process should not, however, be carried out "by force," at risk of causing internal security disturbances. "Deep down, I do not believe in the outcome of Lebanese political arrangements, but it is not possible to disarm Hezbollah by force. I have said it: these heavy missiles are no longer of any use, but there must be international support for the Lebanese army. Up until now, we have seen a bit of support, but it is timid," he concluded.
Once an objective ally of Hezbollah, Joumblatt has since the end of the last war become one of its internal opponents. He has notably held rare one-on-one discussions with the leader of the Lebanese Forces (LF) Christian party, Samir Geagea, who is strongly hostile towards Hezbollah.
These statements come as the United States, through its special envoy for Lebanon and Syria, Tom Barrack, is calling for the development of a clear roadmap for Hezbollah's disarmament, including a timeline and enforcement mechanisms.
"The credibility of the Lebanese government rests on its ability to put these principles into practice," the American diplomat said Saturday on X. "As its leaders have repeatedly said, it is crucial that the state has a monopoly on weapons. As long as Hezbollah retains its weapons, words will not be enough. The government and Hezbollah must fully commit and act now in order not to consign the Lebanese people to a precarious status quo."
The pro-Iranian party has hinted it would reject any new agreement on its arsenal, insisting that Israel must first comply with existing agreements. Hezbollah notably demands that the Israeli army withdraw from the five positions it still occupies in South Lebanon and stop its daily strikes in the border area, which have killed at least 285 people since the truce, according to a count by the U.N. and L'Orient Today.