Lebanon (MNN) — A senior official decries efforts to disarm Hezbollah, calling the move a threat to Lebanon’s sovereignty. Disarmament is a critical part of the 2024 ceasefire agreement that ended a year of war between Israel and Lebanon.
Lebanon’s army presented its plan for disarming Hezbollah in four phases based on location earlier this month.
“We have till the end of the year, so three months from now, to have the weapons completely gone from Lebanon – the weapons of Hezbollah – otherwise it’s going to be war,” Nuna with Triumphant Mercy Lebanon says.
“It’s [either] going to be Israel coming in and taking it by force, or civil war. We don’t know where we’re going, but the deadline is very close.”
The push for disarmament, driven primarily by the U.S. and Israel, is an unmatched effort to weaken Iran’s most powerful regional proxy.
Hezbollah fighters march in a 2018 ceremony.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Founded in the 1980s as a Shi’ite militant group, Hezbollah is classified as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the U.S. government. State officials recently approved a $14.2 million security assistance package to “build the capability and capacity of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to dismantle weapons caches and military infrastructure of non-state groups, including Hizballah.”
Lebanese Cabinet members voted to proceed with the army’s plan for disarmament last week.
“Five people were Shiite, and they are the only ones who withdrew from this meeting,” Nuna says. “All the other [members] unanimously voted against the weapons of Hezbollah. This has never happened before.”
For now, Israel waits on the sidelines. “We have like 40,000 [soldiers] at the border of Lebanon waiting to see what’s going to happen with the disarmament. Because if nothing happens, they will invade the land,” Nuna says.
Pray for Gospel workers in Lebanon as they introduce people to the Prince of Peace. Triumphant Mercy Lebanon combines physical help and spiritual hope to serve Lebanon’s most vulnerable communities. Learn more here.
“People are so ready [for hope] because they have this darkness in front of them, and we have to show them a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel,” Nuna says. “The Gospel brings light to people and dispels the darkness around them.”
Header image depicts pandemic-era distributions of food aid to vulnerable households. Photo courtesy of Triumphant Mercy Lebanon.
