IntelScoops

BEIRUT, Lebanon — In a landmark move with far-reaching implications, Lebanon’s Cabinet has formally tasked the army with developing a plan to ensure that only state institutions hold weapons by the end of the year — a step that would effectively mean the disarmament of Hezbollah.

The decision, announced Tuesday after a marathon six-hour Cabinet session, follows mounting pressure from the United States and forms part of the implementation of a fragile ceasefire deal brokered in November 2024. That agreement aimed to halt more than a year of escalating conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, which had erupted into two months of full-scale war.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told reporters that the Lebanese Armed Forces have been ordered to deliver a comprehensive implementation roadmap by the end of August. The plan will be reviewed and debated by the Cabinet before being formally adopted.

“The government has tasked the Lebanese army with setting an implementation plan to restrict weapons to the Lebanese state and its official security institutions before the end of this year,” Salam said, emphasizing a return to state sovereignty and control.

The November ceasefire agreement, reached under international mediation, included a provision stipulating that only Lebanese government forces — specifically the army and internal security services — should be armed. Hezbollah, a powerful Shiite political and military organization backed by Iran, has long operated independently of the state’s chain of command, maintaining a formidable arsenal and influence across much of southern Lebanon.

Though the group is seen by supporters as a resistance force against Israeli aggression, critics — both domestic and foreign — argue that Hezbollah’s military wing undermines state authority and drags Lebanon into regional conflicts.

The U.S. has been a key driver behind Lebanon’s recent push to centralize military power, warning that continued support and aid could be contingent on meaningful progress toward disarmament of non-state actors.

Officials acknowledge that enforcing the policy will be fraught with political and security challenges. Hezbollah has not yet issued a formal response to the government’s move. However, any effort to disarm the group is likely to trigger significant resistance, both from within Lebanon’s deeply divided political landscape and from Hezbollah’s own ranks.

Still, some analysts are calling the Cabinet’s decision a potential turning point. “This is the first serious attempt in years to assert state authority over armed groups,” said one Beirut-based political observer. “But whether it’s enforceable is another matter entirely.”

With the army now under pressure to deliver a workable and peaceful disarmament plan, the coming weeks will test Lebanon’s ability to navigate one of its most delicate security dilemmas in decades.