Has “Hezbollah” given up its weapons?

Which of these three possibilities led one of its leaders to confirm this significant surprise? How will Israel and America react?

Abdel Bari Atwan

Does “Hezbollah” plan to relinquish its weapons and transition into a non-violent political party, renouncing its military history of bravery and triumph, which includes the liberation of southern Lebanon and Israel’s defeat twice, first in 2000 when it reluctantly withdrew from the “security belt” to reduce losses, and again in July 2006? What will it tell its base?
The grave, startling, and frightening comment by the worldwide news agency “Reuters” from a top party official, whose name was not released, has raised this subject in Lebanon and the Arab area. The official added, “The party is ready to discuss the ‘future’ of its weapons with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, provided that Israel completely withdraws from southern Lebanon and stops its violations of the ceasefire agreement by launching strikes on targets belonging to personalities, warehouses, and residential areas associated with the party.”
The timing and content of this extraordinary precedent announcement sparked many fair issues. The American ambassador to Lebanon, Ms Morgan Ortagus, departed Beirut yesterday and spoke with Lebanese leaders including President Aoun, Speaker Berri, and Prime Minister Salam—emphasising the need to disarm Hezbollah before considering an Israeli departure. Second, it was issued close to the “direct” negotiations in Muscat, the Omani capital, next Saturday, between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Steve Biegun, President Trump’s envoy to the “Middle East”, to discuss the Iranian nuclear program, advanced missile and drone systems, and Iranian support for resistance factions in Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon, and Iraq.
No official denial or clarification, by name, has been provided by “Hezbollah” regarding what was reported by “Reuters” as a result of the writing of these lines, raising many issues about this quiet and the legitimacy of the remark. Due to our occupation, we have dealt with the agency’s cables for over forty years and cannot communicate such a dangerous and unprecedented remark without verifying it. If the statement is untrue, the agency usually apologises and removes it from circulation.
This profound statement and its well-stated meaning can be interpreted in three ways:
The first: The party has succumbed to pressure from the Lebanese ruling establishment, represented by the three presidencies subject to American dictates, and has decided to abandon its weapon because it has become an obstacle to reconstruction, Western and Arab financial aid, removing Israel’s biggest pretext, and forcing it to withdraw from the five hills in southern Lebanon.
Second: Due to Israeli and American threats of a very large strike, Iran, which is negotiating with President Trump and his envoy in Oman to end tensions and prevent a major war in the region, may have instructed its biggest ally in the region, Hezbollah, to be flexible, even if it means laying down its weapons.
Third: Israeli aggression targeted Hezbollah, killing more than 4,000 Lebanese supporters, including first-tier political and military leaders like Sayyid al-Shohada Hassan Nasrallah, destroying a large part of its missile arsenal, and closing most supply lines after the Syrian regime fell. The party may have used this “political manoeuvre” to gain time and ease pressure, which is why it leaked to Reuters.
I prefer the third alternative, that the party purposely leaked these words, which have served many of their goals, including occupying the Lebanese and Arab arenas with their startling and “moderate” substance, buying time, and relieving pressure.
Our judgement is based on the leaked statement’s wording, notably those that imply the party is ready to “discuss the future” of its weapons with President Aoun, who has maintained that the Lebanese state will have the arms monopoly. Another issue is that “this study” requires Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon and stop its daily strikes and raids.
The Israeli occupation state aims to disarm Hezbollah, destroy its resistance culture, and relocate its base from Lebanon to another location. It also wants Hamas’s surrender and disarming, as well as the displacement of its 2.5 million Palestinians in the sector. President Trump supports the genocide war, Gaza’s transformation into the “Riviera” of the Middle East, and this displacement solely for Israelis and their merchants.
President Aoun says the discussion about disarming “Hezbollah” will take years. If this debate starts, it will take months or years. However, using force by the army to return Israeli settlers to occupied Galilee would risk a war between the Lebanese army and a third of the population, if not more, and years of killing and destruction.
Even after Hezbollah’s disarmament, Israel would break the truce over 1,500 times in three months against Lebanon’s security and sovereignty. We spotted Afek Aderi strolling in Quneitra after it unleashed over 600 airstrikes, destroyed all the equipment, airports, and military bases of the surrendering Syrian army, and controlled most of southern Syria. All this happened after a new Syrian leadership declared day and night that it would not allow a single bullet from Syria to reach Israel.
Hezbollah’s disposal of its weapons, which represent its identity, purpose, and popularity, signifies its demise, disappearance, transformation into history, and pardon and absolution to the Israeli enemy. We find this impossible and unlikely because our reliable sources indicate that Hezbollah is reviewing past mistakes and setbacks to formulate a new strategy and select new young leadership. This leadership bravely survived the assassination of the Master of Martyrs and his companions; it recorded the great Sunday victory, which struck Israeli Military Operation Unit 8200, the world’s largest intelligence centre, and ignited the Haifa military bases. Only a broken ceasefire stopped this remarkable win.
Hezbollah, “old yet renewed,” will honour the Master of Martyrs, Hassan Nasrallah, and his ideals, values, and heroism, which made America and Israel shudder at his name. Say what you want; it will never surrender its arms or leave Gaza and Palestine. Time will reveal the truth.