By Laila Bassam
BEIRUT – Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stepped up his calls for Hezbollah to disarm on Thursday, suggesting failure to do so would give Israel an excuse to continue attacks and saying the issue would be on the agenda of a cabinet meeting next week.
The comments reflect mounting pressure over the issue of Hezbollah’s arms, which has loomed over Lebanon since the Iran-aligned group was pummeled in a war with Israel last year. Washington wants Hezbollah disarmed – a demand echoed by the Beirut government as it aims to establish a monopoly on weapons.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, who fled to Tehran last October said in a televised speech on Wednesday that calls for its disarmament served only Israel.
In a speech to army officers, Aoun said the government would next week discuss Lebanon’s amendments to a U.S. roadmap to disarm Hezbollah, deemed a terrorist group by Washington.
Lebanon’s counter proposal demands an immediate halt to Israel’s attacks, its withdrawal from positions held in the south, the establishment of state control over all Lebanon and the disarmament of armed groups including Hezbollah, he said.
Aoun urged all parties “to seize this historic opportunity … and push for the exclusivity of weapons in the hands of the army and security forces”. He said the government would set a timeframe to implement the steps.
Shi’ite Muslim Hezbollah, backed by Tehran, was the only Lebanese group allowed to keep its weapons at the end of the 1975-90 civil war on the grounds it needed them to fight Israeli troops who occupied the south but withdrew in 2000.
Hezbollah’s arsenal has long divided Lebanese, with critics saying it has undermined the state and dragged Lebanon into conflicts.
Washington has been pushing Lebanon to commit to disarming Hezbollah before talks can resume on halting Israeli military operations, Reuters reported earlier this week. Hezbollah has so far refused, though the group has been considering scaling back its arsenal.
‘PRETEXTS FOR AGGRESSION’
Addressing Hezbollah and its followers but without naming them, Aoun called on those who “have faced the aggression” to “rely solely on the Lebanese state”.
“You are too honorable to risk the state-building project, and too noble to provide pretexts for an aggression that wants to continue the war against us,” he said.
Israel killed many Hezbollah commanders and thousands of its fighters last year, while also destr oying much of its arsenal.
The U.S. proposal delivered in June would require Hezbollah to disarm within four months in exchange for the withdrawal of Israeli troops occupying several posts in south Lebanon, and a halt to Israeli air strikes.
Hezbollah had already relinquished a number of weapons depots in southern Lebanon to the Lebanese army in line with a U.S.-brokered truce designed to end last year’s war.
Aoun said the proposals to be discussed next week include seeking $1 billion annually for 10 years to support the army and the security forces and plans for an international conference to later in the year to support reconstruction efforts.
Upates
Aoun has a point about the consequences that Lebanon could face if Hezbollah doesn’t disarm :
On Thursday He was quoted as saying : “We have to choose between collapse and stability “and warned again that Israel will use Hezbollah’s arms as an excuse to continue its attacks against Lebanon.
Israel’s defense minister Israel Katz said Hezbollah “was working to restore its capabilities” in the sites that were targeted in south Lebanon.
Katz also said the warplanes that attacked the Eastern Mountain Range in the Bekaa targeted Hezbollah’s “biggest precision missile production plant” in the country.
Three Israeli airstrikestargeted Brital’s outskirts, a strike targeted al-Nasriyeh’s outskirts while eight strikes have targeted the heights of the southern towns of al-Aishiyeh, al-Mahmoudiyeh and al-Jarmaq.
In another development Al-Arabiya reported that the Beirut airport has imposed strict inspection measures to prevent the smuggling of any funds. Hezbollah has been using the airport for smuggling cash from Iran and neighboring counties like Iraq and Turkey
Al-Arabiya quoted diplomatic sources as saying : “All Lebanese areas, including Beirut, will face the threat of bombardment if Hezbollah refuses to hand over its arms to the Lebanese army
Al-Arabiya also quoted diplomatic sources as saying : Lebanon risks being put on the black list and will be facing economic pressure if Hezbollah does not disarm arms.
President Aoun met in Baabda with U.S. Central Command chief Michael Kurilla and discussed with him the cooperation and ties between the Lebanese and U.S. armies
Hezbollah’s arms have become a huge burden for Lebanon and its Shiite community which suffered the most during the past 2 wars
due to Hezbollah’s miscalculations and inability to match Israeli military power. Tens of thousands of Shiite homes were destroyed and hundreds of thousands were displaced .
No country in the world is willing to help Lebanon in reconstructing these homes unless Hezbollah disarms
Reuters