Latest news with #LebaneseOfficials
LBCI
3 days ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Washington calls on Lebanon to set deadline for state control over Hezbollah arms: Sources to LBCI
Sources told LBCI that Lebanese officials have received a response — delivered via the U.S. Embassy — to the proposal they had submitted to American envoy Tom Barrack. According to sources, Lebanon is currently studying the reply, the core of which stresses the need for Lebanon to commit to a clear timeline for placing Hezbollah's weapons under the control of the state. The response sets a firm deadline, calling for this process to be completed no later than the end of this year.
The National
14-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Hezbollah assured Lebanese officials it won't join Iran's retaliation, security sources say
Lebanese officials have urged Hezbollah not to join Iran 's response to Israeli attacks and the group has assured them it will not take part, security sources told The National on Saturday. 'Officials moved quickly to urge Hezbollah not to drag Lebanon into another war, and the group has given reassurances that it has no intention of doing so,' one of the Lebanese sources said. Israel's deadly strike on Iran on Friday wiped out much of Tehran's military and nuclear leadership. A broader regional offensive by Israel over the past two years has severely weakened Iranian proxies across the region, leaving Hezbollah unable to come to its sponsor's aid. Still, there is concern within security circles in Lebanon over one specific factor: Hezbollah's arsenal of strategic, long-range precision missiles. 'We know those important missiles can only be launched on orders from Iran,' the source said. 'The problem is, we don't know whether they still exist or if they were destroyed by Israel. And if they do still exist, there's a worry they could eventually be used and lead to a new devastating war with Israel.' A second security source confirmed that the state had formally requested Hezbollah not to interfere, and the group responded positively. 'Many people have fled southern Lebanon and Hezbollah-controlled areas in Beirut out of fear of Israeli strikes and a wider escalation despite the assurances,' the source added. Israel's offensive against Hezbollah, which escalated in September 2024, took out most of the group's leaders and destroyed most of its arsenal. By Israeli and US intelligence estimates, around 70 per cent of Hezbollah's military capabilities have been destroyed. Even if Hezbollah were in a position to attack, its main supply route by land through Syria was cut when its ally, Bashar Al Assad, was deposed last December by rebels who Hezbollah itself had spent years fighting. This means the group would have difficulty replenishing the limited stores that remain. Lebanese leaders and western diplomats are aware that Lebanon's relative stability is hanging in the balance. The US and France scrambled to reach a shaky, if uneven, ceasefire in Lebanon. But the ceasefire, and Hezbollah's defeat, has led to a de facto political reality: Israel can strike at will in Lebanon, but Hezbollah – and Lebanon – would be severely punished for attacking or retaliating.
Asharq Al-Awsat
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Reconstruction and the Need for Disarmament
The question of the future has gradually begun to outweigh the poetry and ruins of the past since schisms ripped through parts of the region (whether in Lebanon, Yemen, or Syria, where things have radically shifted) and the rogue militias waged their so-called 'support war.' Dithering is not tenable at this momentous juncture. Every opportunity has a window, and every window eventually expires. Judging by Lebanese officials' statements, reconstruction appears to be the ultimate national priority. They have watched their Syrian neighbor lay the groundwork for a transition from impossibility to possibility, reopening its doors to key regional actors committed to development and dynamism. This is not an end but the beginning: a tipping point that will determine whether hopes for the future are realized. These opportunities, once granted, are not permanent. Their lifespan depends on the resolve and choices of those who receive it, and development and reconstruction demand a firm commitment to implementation. The question of Hezbollah's disarmament has dominated the public discourse in Lebanon over the past week. There is no doubt that it is a crucial issue: without disarmament, Lebanon cannot become a coherent political state that others can engage with on an equal footing. Lebanon's statehood will remain lacking so long as Hezbollah retains its weapons. This debate cannot be resolved without domestic determination to put Lebanon on a clear track: bringing arms under the authority of the state, an objective endorsed by the President. The bigger challenge is the wily dithering of other actors who continue to stoke sectarian tensions, play political tricks, and spread panic by insisting that disarmament would trigger civil war. These tactics are intolerable. There has never been a more opportune time for Lebanon to dismantle its militias than the present: Hezbollah has been seriously weakened, and the Assad regime has been toppled. There is no justification for delaying disarmament any further. The turmoil resulting from the militias' adventurism over the past year, and beyond, has caused immense pain on a human level, drained economies, and devastated the region. Nonetheless, we must study its aftermath. There are elements that can be amended and corrected: ending the era of rogue militias, changing the trajectories of troubled states, and ensuring that such crises are not repeated. Political Islamist movements are inherently hostile to the concept of the state. They must be confronted and criminalized. That is what the governments of moderate Arab states have done through decrees and legislation that have made such movements illegal. During this harrowing period, we heard the wounded prioritize life over death, health over illness, and development over fragility, disorientation, displacement, and loss. The existential decline we are currently witnessing is deeply dangerous. I believe the solution will not come from ideologues or sloganeers, but from those committed to building. That is the path Saudi Arabia has pursued, striving to salvage what remains after the overwhelming catastrophe. In short, restoring state authority, that of any state, is the key to serious dialogue with others. No country can diplomatically engage with a state whose institutions are compromised by the operations of militias. The growing developmental discourse presents a genuine opportunity, but unless these visions are acted upon, the underlying challenges will persist. How can an armed faction that unilaterally decides questions of war and peace be part of the government? Political leaders must face up to a profound reckoning: an era has ended. That time has passed. We are now in an age of rising visions, ambitious development, and new ideas. But who is ready to grasp this shift?
