Reconstruction, disarming Hezbollah, and normalizing with Israel: Fact or myth
Although a new-appointed government has said the state should from now on be the sole bearer of arms after a 13-months-long war between Hezbollah and Israel, Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri said the government would in no way disarm Hezbollah by force.
"It is not the time to take reckless risks that might take Lebanon backward, to many years ago," Metri said Monday in a televised interview.
Hezbollah, once the country's most powerful military and political force, suffered major setbacks in the war with Israel and a slew of its senior commanders including the group's longtime chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah were killed.
Though Hezbollah did not endorse Nawaf Salam as prime minister, the Lebanese group did engage in negotiations with the new prime minister over the Shiite Muslim seats in government and gave its confidence to the new government.
A senior U.S. official had said from the presidential palace in Baabda that Hezbollah's presence in Lebanon's new government was a red line.
Metri said the government did not receive any "official request" to end Hezbollah politically although such a draft law has been submitted to the U.S. Congress.
He added that one of the pre-requisite conditions for international reconstruction aid is to create a transparent fund for rebuilding damaged and destroyed areas. "Disarming Hezbollah is not a condition for reconstruction," he said.
Despite a ceasefire deal requiring Israeli forces to withdraw completely from Lebanon, Israel maintained its troops in five "strategic" points in south Lebanon and has been striking south and east Lebanon almost daily.
Metri said Israel is violating the ceasefire although the Lebanese army has deployed in the south since the ceasefire began on Nov. 27. "They are making excuses to stay in the five points and to drag Lebanon to direct negotiations," Metri said, stressing that Lebanon would not normalize with Israel. "We have not received a direct call to sign a peace accord with Israel, but there is pressure on some politicians and an unofficial push in the U.S. to pressure Lebanon into normalizing relations with Israel," Metri revealed.
After several Arab-Israeli wars, Egypt was the first Arab state to recognize Israel diplomatically in 1979. It was followed by Jordan, the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. In October 2023, Saudi Arabia suspended talks on the possible normalization of relations with Israel, following the Israeli war on Gaza.
11 March 2025, 14:30
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Lebanon does not need to "normalize relations" with our neighbor to the South, to have:
1. a well-defined, clearly delineated, internationally recognized, and respected maritime and terrestrial borders - which we do not
2. a well-implemented compliance with U.N. Resolution 1701 as we repeatedly agreed to - which we have not
3. a transparent inquiry and application of justice, at least for the Beirut Port devastation and any perfidy at the Central Bank and/or electricity facilities, as a solid foundation for rebuilding Lebanon's economic infrastructure - which we keep promising to ourselves.
The government needs to focus on improving the quality of life for all Lebanese in Lebanon. Metri's is a voice for the priorities of a regimen (hopefully forever) from the country's past. Let us not be distracted by others' agendas and aspirations .. there is more than enough work to fulfill the basic needs of sovereignty and sustenance.
