Lebanon army chief opposes against Hezbollah disarmament
Lebanon’s army commander in chief has threatened to resign over a plan to disarm Hezbollah, security sources announced.
The battered army has been tasked with drawing up a plan to dismantle the once-dominant force in Lebanon by this Sunday, and to implement it by the end of the year, The National News reported on Friday.
The army chief has argued that he does not want his institution to confront Hezbollah directly, stressing that it is “unrealistic” to devise such a plan without co-operation from the group.
“The army is not happy with the process, and Brig Gen Rodolphe Haykal has at some point threatened to resign,” a security official with direct knowledge of the matter said.
“He wants the government to pursue a comprehensive agreement and avoid putting the army in a direct confrontation with the group and other factions in Lebanon,” he added.
“President Joseph Aoun, himself a former army commander, appears more understanding of the military’s complicated situation than the government.”
US envoys Tom Barrack and Morgan Ortagus stunned Lebanese officials this week when they said they could not guarantee any Israeli de-escalation before the army announces its plan and begins collecting Hezbollah’s weapons.
The Lebanese government, despite resistance from Shiite ministers, voted to proceed with Hezbollah’s disarmament and tasked the army with drawing up a plan, expecting a reciprocal step from Israel that never came.
Hezbollah insists that Israel must first withdraw from the south and halt its attacks before any discussion of disarmament can begin. The US, however, has warned that Lebanon will receive neither financial assistance nor restored relations unless it moves ahead now and dismantles the group.
