With Israeli information channeled through the United States, Lebanon soldiers have made remarkable progress in the neutralization of Hezbollah’s weapons in its Heartlands in the South, a pivot effort to maintain a November cease-fire which ended fierce hostilities with Israel, The Wall Street Journal reported. The government of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam now faces the intimidating challenge to extend this disarmament nationally, testing the resilience of the fragile state of Lebanon.
In an energetic declaration The Wall Street JournalPrime Minister Nawaf Salam highlighted the need for state control over all arms, beating his fists to emphasize. “Everywhere in Lebanese territory, the state should have a monopoly on arms,” said Salam. He revealed that around 80% of the objectives of government disarmament in southern Lebanon have been achieved, marking a significant change in a region long controlled by Hezbollah.
Senior Arab officials have said The Wall Street Journal that the Israeli intelligences distributed in the United States guided the Lebanese army to discover and destroy the remaining weapons of Hezbollah Military deposits and posts in the South. The army rejects certain weapons entered but incorporates assets usable in its own sub-equipped arsenal, strengthening its capacities.
The Lebanese army has solidified its presence to the south of the Litani river, guaranteeing critical access points in the areas formerly dominated by Hezbollah, The Wall Street Journal reported. An Israeli military official noted: “We see many areas where the Lebanese army is much more effective than expected”, adding: “The FDI is generally satisfied with this trend and we expect it to continue”, referring to Israeli defense forces.
The government also pursues a several floor plan to disarm the Palestinian armed factions, mainly active in dense refugee camps, The Wall Street Journal note. In April, the Lebanese forces apprehended the members of a Palestinian group accused of having fired rockets over Israel, a rare decision signaling wider objectives of disarmament.
Depending on the conditions of ceasefire, the disarmament begins in the south of the Litani river, near the border of Israel, but the managers of Salam and Americans are pressure for efforts nationwide, The Wall Street Journal reported. Hezbollah complined in the south and has sold security control in regions such as Beirut Airport, according to senior Lebanese security officials.
Familiar sources with the Hezbollah strategy told The Wall Street Journal That the group’s cooperation can reflect efforts to gain political favor, because Lebanon seeks reconstruction funds for Western states and the Gulf, which often conditions aid to measures against Hezbollah. However, his commitment to disarmament beyond the south remains uncertain.
Randa Slim, member of the Johns Hopkins Foreign Policy Institute, said The Wall Street Journal“Unless Hezbollah is disposed and ready to disarm, I do not see a scenario where a Lebanese government will make the decision to disarm them by force.” She proposed to link reconstruction aid for Shiite Shiite regions for disarmament to increase political pressure on Hezbollah.
Formed during the civil war of the 80s and supported by Iran, the arsenal and the influence of Hezbollah have long overshadowed the state institutions of Lebanon, The Wall Street Journal reported. His important support in the Shiite Muslim community has made it a dominant strength, exercising one of the most powerful non -state arsenals in the world.
The two -month campaign of Israel of intelligence operations, air strikes and ground operations has decimated the leadership and weapons of Hezbollah, causing thousands of deaths and billions of damages, The Wall Street Journal note. This weakened the inner position of Hezbollah, even among some of its base.
Post-grain, Israel launched hundreds of strikes targeting the assets of Hezbollah, notably in Beirut, according to Unifil, the United Nations peacekeeping force, as indicated by The Wall Street Journal. Israeli troops remain in certain parts of southern Lebanon, adding complexity to the region’s safety dynamics.
Hezbollah messaging on disarmament is not clear because it is struggling with the consequences of the Israel campaign, The Wall Street Journal reported. The parliamentarian Ibrahim Mousawi defended the group’s arms, declaring: “The weapons of Hezbollah which continue to exist in certain parts are points of force in Lebanon”, citing the threats of Israel and Sunni extremists in Syria.
The group’s ability to rearm was hampered by the fall of Bashar Assad, who broke the main Iranian weapons tracks across Syria and by tight government controls at Beirut Airport, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The fears of climbing tensions are looming if Hezbollah resists disarmament north of the Litani river, The Wall Street Journal note. Hezbollah and government representatives aim to avoid civilian conflicts, a concern anchored in the history of Lebanon of sectarian conflicts.
Given its limited resources and the need to sail in Christian, Sunni, Shiite and Druze communities of Lebanon, the army is unlikely to confront the militarily, militarily The Wall Street Journal reported. “We do not want to put the country on a civil war track, but believe me, that will not affect our commitment to the need to extend and consolidate state authority,” said Salam.
