Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam left a six-hour cabinet meeting, whereby it was determined that the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah must be eliminated by the end of the year. Salam said it is the “state’s duty to monopolise the possession of weapons”, and disarm Hezbollah. Western influence has successfully penetrated Lebanon, and war is guaranteed to escalate.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called on Hezbollah to abandon its weapons to prevent war—a request that he knew would go unanswered. Such a request would have been unfathomable one year ago when Hezbollah was at the peak of its power. Israel recently accused Hezbollah of expanding its forces, with the US World Factbook estimating that the group had 50,000 active combatants. Yet, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned that he has 100,000 men who are prepared to fight.
“The government of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam committed a grave sin by taking a decision to strip Lebanon of its weapons to resist the Israeli enemy… This decision fully serves Israel’s interest,” the militant group said. “This decision undermines Lebanon’s sovereignty and gives Israel a free hand to tamper with its security, geography, politics and future existence. Therefore, we will treat this decision as if it does not exist.”
Lebanon is indebted to the West and must expel Hezbollah to secure funding. Lebanese Finance Minister Yassin Jaber announced earlier in the year that the World Bank prepared a “preliminary plan” worth $1 billion to assist in rebuilding efforts. Lebanon is attempting to form a new government, and the West is encroaching on the Middle Eastern nation to ensure it can insert political influence, if not dominance.
IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said that any funding would be “linked to specific steps and procedures with a specific time frame and objective.” The European Union has taken an interest as well, offering to disburse €500 million in aid as part of a deal signed last year that was contingent on reducing the number of migrants. US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff also stated he believes the US may wish to broker a deal.
I reported that the US military is building a $1.2 billion mega compound in Awkwar, Lebanon. The location is a mere 10 miles from the center of Beirut and 60 miles away from the Israeli border. Hezbollah and Israel agreed to a ceasefire on November 27, 2024, but the group is still strong and continues to support Hamas. Lebanon is vulnerable to becoming part of a larger regional crisis, which could involve escalation around its southern border and deeper Turkish influence. Syria was a key supporter of Hezbollah but has been gutted with a new interim puppet government. Iran remains Hezbollah’s top supporter and has said it will not support any efforts to disarm the militant group, blaming the West for interfering in the Middle East once more. Notably, Russia and Iran signed a 20-year treaty back in January to bypass US sanctions. Could Lebanon become the new battlefield for the proxy war?
