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3. Hezbollah’s Weapons: A Leaky Umbrella

On Friday, the Council of Ministers is, in principle and unless the session is postponed, scheduled to examine the army's plan to disarm Hezbollah.

The key question is: Will there be a timeline or not? Without one, Hezbollah would gain time and save face while waiting to see how negotiations between Iran and the United States unfold. For everyone else, timeline or not, the pro-Iranian militia must give up its arsenal. Quite simply because it is illegal, and because it lies at the root of the country’s misfortunes.

To make clear that letting the situation fester is not an option, US envoy Morgan Ortagus is returning to Lebanon this Sunday to meet with the “military authorities.” Her visit underscores that the weapons issue is no longer just a domestic matter, but a priority for Washington. Like many Lebanese, the Americans seem tired of Hezbollah’s broken record.

For 40 years, the story has been the same: Hezbollah’s weapons are supposedly Lebanon’s “shield.” The result? Every war has left the country drained, every clash has cost lives and billions of dollars, and every rocket fired has been fully reciprocated with massive destruction inside Lebanon. The long-promised “protection” has yet to appear.

The formation clings to its missiles as if they were the nation’s last treasure. We’re told to await a “step for step” process with Israel. But it looks more like a dog chasing its tail, going in circles and getting nowhere. Meanwhile, Lebanon is left with a militia that takes its orders from Tehran and plays at being a mini-state within the state, with no legal framework whatsoever.

Meanwhile, circles close to Hezbollah are busy waving political scarecrows straight out of a political vaudeville, all to justify keeping their weapons. One day, they push the wild idea of relocating Lebanon’s Shia to Iraq, the next, they revive the absurd call for a one-third power-sharing deal, as if Lebanon were simply a pie to be divided.

The problem is that the Taif agreement never mentions “thirds,” it calls for strict parity (munassafa) or equal power-sharing between Christians and Muslims. Nothing more, nothing less. Anything else distorts the text and stirs up divisions that no other party is willing to accept. As a result, we’re left with bazaar fables that only confuse the situation and make it seem as if the problem lies elsewhere.

Behind the scenes, of course, Hezbollah is seeking to negotiate a deal: gradual disarmament in exchange for a general amnesty. A kind of Lebanese-style swap: “I hand over my weapons, but you promise not to punish me for wrecking the house.” Hard to swallow, given the militia’s track record.

One thing is clear: Hezbollah’s weapons have never protected Lebanon, they have only weakened it. They are illegitimate, and today they stand isolated because of the stubbornness of a militia that has turned them into a source of profit.

So the real question is: How much longer will we “shelter” under this leaky umbrella before realizing that we are soaked through?

Voltaire once said, “Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.” It’s time to finally close this umbrella.