Will Lebanon succeed in disarming Hezbollah?

Lebanon’s authorities has announced a timeline for Hezbollah’s disarmament, saying the subject would acceptable retired a program to bring each weapons nether authorities authorization earlier the extremity of 2025.

This comes aft months of unit from the United States aft Israel’s warfare connected Lebanon killed much than 4,000 radical and culminated successful a ceasefire successful November. Israel has continuously violated the ceasefire and inactive occupies 5 points successful Lebanon.

Hezbollah’s arms person agelong been a contentious contented successful Lebanon, and attempts to interfere successful Hezbollah’s infrastructure oregon subject capabilities person led to internal conflict.

However, Hezbollah took dense losses successful Israeli attacks past year, which diminished its presumption arsenic Lebanon’s governmental and subject hegemon.

As the contented of disarming Hezbollah heats up, here’s what you request to cognize astir the government’s announcement connected Tuesday and the concern successful Lebanon:

What did Hezbollah say?

It doesn’t similar the disarmament plan.

In fact, Hezbollah said it would dainty the determination as though it didn’t exist.

“The authorities of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam committed a sedate misdeed by taking a determination to portion Lebanon of its weapons to defy the Israeli enemy. … This determination afloat serves Israel’s interest,” the radical said successful a statement.

Despite its flat-out rejection of the government’s decision, Hezbollah has yet to respond with force.

Under its precocious person Hassan Nasrallah, the radical threatened that immoderate enactment taken against its arms could pb to civilian war.

This time, Hezbollah has not taken subject action, perchance a effect of a alteration successful its strategy oregon due to the fact that of its weakened capableness aft the war.

Rumours circulated during a furniture league connected Tuesday that Hezbollah supporters successful achromatic shirts were gathering on the road successful Khaldeh, conscionable southbound of Beirut, but that turned retired to beryllium a edifice celebrating reaching 1 cardinal followers connected Instagram.

Pro-Hezbollah protesters did concisely artifact the airdrome roadworthy successful Beirut aft the government’s decision, but small other has manifested contempt heightened home concerns.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi successful Rio de Janeiro connected July 6, 2025 [Eraldo Peres/AP]

What astir Iran, Hezbollah’s backer?

Iran voiced enactment for Hezbollah but said it has nary relation successful shaping the group’s decisions oregon policy.

The comments came from Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who said the efforts to disarm Hezbollah wouldn’t work.

‏“This is not the archetypal clip they’ve tried to portion Hezbollah of its weapons,” Araghchi said. “The crushed is clear: The powerfulness of absorption has proven itself successful the field.”

Iran played a formative relation successful founding Hezbollah successful 1982 during the vigor of the Lebanese Civil War and has been the group’s main benefactor ever since.

But since Israel’s warfare connected Lebanon, Iran’s quality to enactment Hezbollah has taken a large hit. The Lebanese authorities has blocked flights from Tehran, and the autumn of Bashar al-Assad’s authorities successful neighbouring Syria has blocked the onshore way utilized to transport backing and weapons.

How did Lebanon respond?

Iran’s comments angered immoderate Lebanese officials.

Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi said Araghchi’s connection is “firmly rejected and condemned”.

“Such statements undermine Lebanon’s sovereignty, unity and stableness and represent an unacceptable interference successful its interior matters and sovereign decisions,” Raggi said.

Is disarmament going to happen?

This remains to beryllium seen.

Salam said aft a follow-up furniture gathering connected Thursday that his ministers approved the “objectives” of a US connection for “ensuring that the possession of weapons is restricted solely to the state”.

“The authorities is present expected to formally perpetrate to disarming Hezbollah, a determination that could … ignite a governmental crisis,” Al Jazeera’s Beirut analogous Zeina Khodr said.

Hezbollah has yet to respond forcefully, and anti-Hezbollah politicians person utilized progressively bold rhetoric.

“If determination is simply a outgo to beryllium capable to centralise the weapons with the … Lebanese equipped forces, [it whitethorn be] amended similar that,” Elias Hankash, a Lebanese MP with the anti-Hezbollah Kataeb party, said.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun leads a gathering astatine the Baabda statesmanlike palace connected August 7, 2025 [Handout: Lebanese Presidency via AFP]

President Joseph Aoun and Salam volition person to navigate US unit and home enactment for disarming Hezbollah with absorption from the radical and its supporters, who are reeling from Israel’s war.

The World Bank has said Lebanon needs $11bn for reconstruction and recovery, the immense bulk of which is needed successful confederate Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s suburbs, wherever astir of Hezbollah’s enactment is based.

Have immoderate Hezbollah members expressed discontent with disarmament?

Plenty of discontent has been expressed.

Hezbollah person Naim Qassem rejected the idea, saying the group’s disarmament would marque Lebanon susceptible to onslaught and would service lone Israel.

Ali Mokdad, a Hezbollah MP, besides dismissed the decision, calling it “ink connected paper”. Another Hezbollah MP, Mohammad Raad, said the determination could ne'er beryllium implemented and compared Hezbollah giving up its weapons to “suicide”.

What are things similar close now?

Tensions were heightened connected Saturday erstwhile six Lebanese soldiers were killed portion inspecting an alleged Hezbollah weapons site.

Hezbollah reportedly booby-trapped sites successful confederate Lebanon during the warfare successful lawsuit invading Israeli soldiers came upon them.

Many from Lebanon’s southbound are antagonistic towards Beirut, feeling the authorities has not been capable to support the south, which continues to endure from regular Israeli attacks. Residents besides lament the deficiency of nationalist statements astir the deaths from those attacks.