According to a report by Reuters the United States has presented Lebanon with a proposal for disarming Hezbollah by the end of the year, along with ending Israel's military operations in the country and the withdrawal of its troops from five positions in south Lebanon.
Lebanon's information Minister did not reveal any details of the plan, but said the cabinet approved its objectives which include phasing out the armed presence of non-state actors like Hezbollah, deploying Lebanese forces to key border and internal areas, ensuring Israel's withdrawal and permanently demarcating Lebanon's borders with Israel and Syria.
Jan Markell is founder and director of Olive Tree Ministries. A de-fanged Hezbollah would be great for regional security, but she is not confident that Hezbollah will actually disarm.
There’s too much history, too much water under the bridge, and Hezbollah has gained too much strength compared to the military of its host country.
“Because the Lebanese government is such a weak government, my goodness, I'm surprised they're still functioning at all. No, Hezbollah has virtually taken over that country. And what I'm told is literally every other house in Lebanon is tied to Hezbollah in some way, cooperating with Hezbollah. So, it's a nation that's been destroyed. Now, can it come back? Sure. But not with Hezbollah leadership. Absolutely no way, no."
