"Convincing Hezbollah to give up its weapons is the job of the Lebanese government, and the United States is not interested in pressuring anybody, the US special envoy for Syrian affairs, Tom Barrack, has told Al Jazeera. Barrack's comments come a day after Hezbollah's leader, Naim Qassem, once again rejected the Lebanese government's attempts for the group to disarm, which was one of the key parts of the November ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon."
"The US and its closest regional ally, Israel, have been seeking the complete disarmament of Hezbollah, which started firing rockets at Israel a day after Israel launched its war on Gaza on October 7, 2023. By the time a ceasefire was agreed to on November 27, Israel's strikes on Lebanon had crippled Hezbollah's military capability and killed more than 4,000 people. Though weakened by the war, Hezbollah remains a major political force representing the Shia community, and its allies hold seats in the parliament."
Hezbollah retains political legitimacy within Lebanon's confessional power-sharing system, complicating efforts to end the conflict with Israel. The Lebanese government bears responsibility for convincing Hezbollah to give up its weapons, while the United States is not seeking to pressure actors to disarm. Hezbollah's leadership rejects disarmament and maintains the group will keep its weapons and confront projects viewed as serving Israel. The US and Israel press for complete Hezbollah disarmament after Hezbollah fired rockets following the October 7, 2023 escalation. Intense strikes weakened Hezbollah militarily and caused over 4,000 deaths before a November 27 ceasefire. Hezbollah remains a major political force with parliamentary allies.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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