Lebanon Remains Under Pressure to Disarm Hezbollah Regardless of Netanyahu or Eizenkot Victory
Political and economic pressures on Lebanon from Washington and Tel Aviv are mounting to push for the disarmament of Hezbollah, with Beirut rejecting direct military coordination with Israel.
Translated by Qiyas from الجريدة — Original source
Lebanon is awaiting the results of the Israeli elections, although many see no fundamental difference between Benjamin Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot, particularly regarding the conditions for Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the fate of the confrontation with Hezbollah.
Messages and signals reaching Beirut indicate that the risk of Israeli escalation will persist unless the Lebanese state reaches a solution deemed convincing by Washington and Tel Aviv regarding Hezbollah’s arsenal.
Alongside American-Israeli political pressure, attention is turning to tightening economic measures, particularly the reactivation of policies imposing sanctions on political and security officials, as part of efforts to pressure the disarmament of the party and dry up its funding sources.
Diplomatic sources state that American pressure on the Lebanese state is likely to intensify to push it to accelerate the process of removing weapons, on one hand, and to complete investigations into the Zahret al-Bider explosives shipment case, on the other, leading to the arrest of those responsible for the shipment, rather than limiting action to those who transported it.
According to information, investigations into the shipment case are expanding under the weight of this pressure, while security agencies are tracking three individuals who accompanied it, after managing to uncover their identities, with a view to issuing judicial summons against them.
On a parallel track, there appears to be American-Israeli insistence on pushing Lebanon toward a peace agreement formula with Israel, which, according to circulating proposals, would begin with security and military coordination between the two armies through a joint operations room.
Some Israeli proposals presented to international officials go beyond this framework, as Israel expresses its readiness to assist the Lebanese Army in any confrontation with Hezbollah, including carrying out air strikes that accompany the movements of Lebanese forces on the ground.
However, Beirut firmly rejects this proposal, and the Lebanese Army rejects any mechanism for direct military coordination with its Israeli counterpart, insisting instead on the creation of an international verification mechanism.
In the final analysis, the outcome of the Israeli elections does not appear likely to dissipate pressure on Lebanon. If Netanyahu wins or manages to continue serving as caretaker, these pressures are expected to renew and intensify. If he leaves the government, messages from Eisenkot’s circles do not suggest a retreat from the hardline stance regarding the necessity of dismantling Hezbollah and disarming it.
