Finance Minister Yassine Jaber, who is affiliated with Speaker Nabih Berri’s Amal Movement, came under scathing attack by Hezbollah supporters on social media over his recent remarks in support of the state’s “exclusive control of weapons.”
His position, which reflects Amal’s approach to disarming Hezbollah, is viewed as a departure from the Shia–Shia consensus.
In his remarks, Jaber stated that “our priority is to build the state and strengthen all its institutions, to activate and reinforce their role, foremost among them the Lebanese Army and all security forces, with weapons exclusively in their hands. This was affirmed in the ministerial statement, and it is something that has been agreed upon.”
In a speech on Sunday in Nabatiyeh, in southern Lebanon, Jaber underlined that Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government’s priority was to build the Lebanese state and restore its monopoly over arms, while stressing that the protection “of our people” remains “the top priority.”
Although nuanced, these explicit remarks on the state’s monopoly over weapons are unprecedented from a minister close to the Amal Movement, Hezbollah’s main ally, at a time when the government’s decision to adopt the US roadmap for Hezbollah’s disarmament has triggered a strong backlash from the Iran-backed group.
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