US EditionShiite Ministers Walk Out as Lebanon’s Cabinet Debates Army Plan to Disarm Hezbollah
Five Shiite ministers, including Hezbollah and Amal members, oppose the disarmament plan amid US pressure and Israeli strikes, asserting weapons retention until Israeli withdrawal and prisoner release.
- On Friday, five Lebanese Shia ministers, including representatives from Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, exited a government meeting held to discuss plans for Hezbollah's disarmament amid ongoing Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon.
- The walkout occurred after the government, responding to strong US pressure, directed the army in August to develop a gradual 15-month strategy aimed at limiting the possession of weapons exclusively to official state forces.
- Hezbollah and Amal postponed previous protest calls to allow dialogue and seek adjustments before confrontation, while Hezbollah firmly rejected disarmament and accused the government of surrendering to Israel.
- Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stated in late August that "the path of monopolising arms... has begun and there is no turning back," and analyst David Wood noted Israel seeks concrete disarmament action beyond pledges.
- The government’s disarmament push and the ministerial walkout signal deep divisions potentially affecting Lebanon’s fragile stability amid ongoing Israeli attacks and unresolved regional tensions.
41 Articles
41 Articles
On Friday, 5 September, the Lebanese government "takes note" of the plan set out by the army leader for the disarmament of Hezbollah at a meeting. The five Shiite ministers withdrew from the meeting, which was held in the shadow of enhanced security measures at the entrances to the southern suburbs of Beirut.
In Beirut, the Lebanese government wanted to discuss the disarmament of Hezbollah, but several ministers close to the militia left the room.
Santa Maria Times
Independent EspañolBEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon's cabinet on Friday discussed a military-drafted plan to disarm the Hezbollah political-military group and concentrate its weapons in state hands, but appeared to backtrack on a previously announced timeline for its implementation.
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