Hezbollah , a proxy of Iran refused to hand over its arms at the end of the civil war in Lebanon in 1990. The party is now is Lebanon’s greatest burden
By: Ali Hussein
Lebanon is at a crossroads—and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s recent call to arrest armed men at a Hezbollah-led Ashura gathering in Beirut must be seen as a wake-up call. Video footage showed hundreds of Hezbollah supporters, dressed in black and wielding automatic rifles, parading through Beirut’s streets in a theatrical display of force. This wasn’t a religious commemoration—it was an armed spectacle designed to intimidate.
Salam’s decision to intervene is commendable, but the problem is far deeper than a few men with guns. It is Hezbollah itself—an armed militia operating under the flag of a foreign power—that remains the single greatest threat to Lebanon’s sovereignty, stability, and future.
Hezbollah’s arms have not protected Lebanon; they have endangered it. Time and time again, their weapons have proved no match for Israel’s overwhelming military power. The 2006 war, the skirmishes since, and the most recent Israeli airstrikes all confirm the same reality: Hezbollah cannot defend Lebanon. On the contrary, its presence gives Israel an excuse to attack.
These arms have become a liability not only for Lebanon, but also for Hezbollah itself. In a tragic twist, the very weapons Hezbollah boasts about are like toys compared to Israel’s precision-guided missiles and advanced surveillance capabilities. Every time Hezbollah displays its firepower, it invites Israeli retaliation—not just against itself, but against the entire country.
By flaunting its weapons during religious processions, Hezbollah is not showing resistance—it is siding with Israel by giving it pretexts to target Lebanon. This is not protection; this is provocation. And Lebanon is the one paying the price.
With General Joseph Aoun—Lebanon’s respected former army chief—now serving as president, the country has a rare opportunity to reassert state authority. President Aoun must act boldly and decisively. Disarming Hezbollah is no longer a political debate; it is a national emergency.
What does Hezbollah—and by extension its master, Iran—stand to gain if Lebanon is reduced to rubble? If its economy collapses, its youth flee, and its institutions disintegrate? Hezbollah was once seen by some as a defender of Lebanon. Today, it is clear: it is Lebanon’s greatest burden.
The solution is clear: implement UN Security Council Resolution 1559 in full. Disband all militias. Reinforce the Lebanese Armed Forces. Restore sovereignty and the rule of law. End the dangerous illusion that Hezbollah’s arms are a shield. They are a trap—one that is dragging Lebanon ever closer to ruin.
If Hezbollah truly cares about the people of Lebanon, it should hand over its weapons and join the national effort to rebuild the state—not destroy it.