« Hezbollah » is ready to talk about disarmament if Israel pulls out of southern Lebanon

The Lebanese Hezbollah group is ready to talk to President Joseph Aun for disarmament if Israel withdrew from South Lebanon and stopped the blows. This is told by Reuters a high -ranking group employee days after the agency told the signals coming from prorani militia in Iraq that they could take down weapons.

Hezbollah commented on the topic while appealing to it to disarm it picking up speed. This would confirm, according to the agency, significant changes in the balance of power in the Middle East after the conflict between Israel and the group that followed the war with Hamas in Gaza and weakened the Lebanese fighters.

The US supported (at least by the previous administration) has promised to establish a state monopoly on the control of weapons (and has the full support of Prime Minister Nauaf Salam). According to three political sources of Reuters, Aun plans to start negotiations soon.

At least north of Litans

At the moment, the US -Mediation truce wants the Lebanese army to dismantle all unauthorized military facilities and to confiscate all weapons, ranging from areas south of the Litani River, which flows into the Mediterranean about 20 km north of the Israeli border.

Two sources familiar with the way of thinking of Hezbollah said she was considering handing over to the army her most powerful weapons north of Litans, including drones and anti-tank missiles.

Hezbollah came out heavily weakened by the conflict with Israel, boned her leadership, as well as the overthrow of the Bashar Al Assad regime in Syria, interrupted supplies from Iran. Her refusal to disarm despite an internationally poet many years ago, her commitment established her status as a « state in the state », and in 2008 came to a short civil war.

Israel did not withdraw its five -point forces in South Lebanon despite the ceasefire in November, which has not yet collapsed despite cases of violations (for example, with powerful strikes last month). These are five positions with good visibility of hills that the Israeli army plans to convey to Lebanese when security considerations allow it.

At the same time, Israeli Air Force maintains pressure on the group with separate strikes that reported victims.

Hezbollah’s leader Naim Kassem in a speech of March 29 said his group no longer had an armed presence south of Litans and adhered to the fire termination agreement while Israel violated it « every day ». Israel has accused Hezbollah of maintaining military infrastructure south.

Different positions

Aun said that Hezbollah’s weapons should be considered by dialogue, as any attempt to disarm the group by force would cause conflict, sources said.

Patriarch Bechara Budros Ar Rai, the head of the Marynite Church in Lebanon, said last week that it is time for all weapons to be in state hands, but it will take time and diplomacy because « Lebanon cannot bear a new war. »

Communication channels are opened with the relevant stakeholders to « launch a survey of weapons to state control after the army and security services have expanded the state power in Lebanon, said Lebanese official. According to him, this is a step to applying Aun’s policy.

Several Lebanese government ministers are demanding a schedule for disarmament, said Kamal Shehadi, a minister affiliated with the Lebanese Powers party, an opponent of Hezbollah. Shehadi tells Reuters that disarmament should take no more than six months. The schedule, which is likely to impose deadlines of the process, is, in his words, « the only way to protect our fellow citizens from repetitive attacks that cost lives, cost the economy and cause destruction. » According to him, other ministers hope the cabinet will support the idea and commission the Minister of Defense to prepare the graph. « We will continue to ask for it, » he said.