The US must clarify what steps Israel should take in return for the Lebanese government’s vote on disarming Hezbollah, sources close to the group said on Tuesday.
Hezbollah, which has already rejected the vote, has repeatedly insisted it will not accept discussing a disarmament plan until Israel withdraws from occupied Lebanese territory and stops its attacks on the country.
Iran, Hezbollah’s main backer, has told Lebanese leaders the group cannot be disarmed as the prospect of a new war with Israel grows, said sources briefed on the meetings of Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani in Beirut last week.
After meeting President Joseph Aoun in Beirut on Monday, US envoy Tom Barrack said: “I think the Lebanese government has done their part. They’ve taken the first step. Now what we need is Israel to comply with that equal handshake.”
Israel continues to occupy areas in southern Lebanon and has carried out near-daily strikes, killing Lebanese citizens despite a ceasefire that Israel admits it has already breached 600 times.
“Perhaps the most important thing Tom Barrack said, in the resistance’s [Hezbollah] view, is that after the Lebanese step there should be an expected step from Israel,” said one source. “But the US envoy did not specify what this step is, nor whether Washington will exert real pressure on Israel to take it, noting that Barrack had previously said the US does not pressure Israel.
They added: “It is strange how the US envoy brandishes threats, but now, after the Lebanese government has agreed to restrict weapons, he clearly states that the Lebanese decision requires co-operation from Israel. What does that mean and why is it unclear what exactly Israel must do?”
Less than two weeks ago, the Lebanese cabinet narrowly approved a US-backed proposal after a heated discussion in which Shiite ministers stormed out. Hezbollah, Iran and their allies immediately condemned the move.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem warned there would be “no life” for Lebanon if the government confronted the group, accusing it of surrendering to Washington’s demands on behalf of Israel.
Sources close to Hezbollah also criticised the government for failing to “use the weapons issue” as a bargaining chip to press Washington to secure the release of a number of Lebanese prisoners or to push Israel to withdraw from occupied areas.
“That could have shown Washington’s ability to act as a guarantor of solutions and settlements,” one source said. “But that did not happen.”
Lebanon is in desperate need of financial support to begin rebuilding after the devastating war with Israel. The US and other countries have made clear that aid will not come before a formal decision to disarm Hezbollah is taken.
For Iran, the question of Hezbollah’s disarmament is larger than Israel’s actions in Lebanon. Tehran, which helped create the group in the early 1980s as part of its drive to project influence after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, has invested billions of dollars in arming, training and modernising the group.
“In any case, the Lebanese now consider that the ball is in the American court – and by extension, in Israel’s court – to determine what comes next,” another source said. “Lebanon has taken a step and this is a test of Washington’s credibility. But we are convinced that Israel’s deception will soon be exposed further.”