US Envoy Presses Lebanon to Disarm Hezbollah by End of Year

A senior U.S. envoy to the Middle East, Morgan Ortagus, pressed the Lebanese government on Wednesday to completely disarm Hezbollah by the end of this year as part of efforts to stabilize a shaky cease-fire with Israel. The visit coincided with an intensification of Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in recent weeks, stoking fears of a renewed conflict. Ortagus welcomed the government's decision to bring all weapons under state control by the end of the year and emphasized the importance of the Lebanese military fully implementing its plan.

Key Takeaways:

• The Lebanese government has endorsed a U.S.-backed road map to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year, but its military forces have been hampered by limited resources and it is unclear whether the deadline will be met.
• The Trump administration has grown frustrated with what it considers slow progress and has been increasing the pressure on Lebanon to accelerate the process.
• Disarmament is a requirement of the truce reached last year between Lebanon and Israel, which ended the deadliest war on Lebanese territory in decades.
• Lebanon's armed forces have removed 10,000 rockets and 400 missiles as part of the government's disarmament plan, which covers both Hezbollah and other smaller armed Palestinian factions in Lebanon.
• Hezbollah was estimated to have 120,000 to 200,000 projectiles before the war, many of which were destroyed in the conflict.
• Analysts say that Hezbollah is wary of provoking a renewed Israeli offensive as it struggles to recover from the war and is being pushed by the United States and Gulf nations to complete the disarmament.
• The United States and Gulf nations are pushing the Lebanese government to capitalize on Hezbollah's weakness to complete the disarmament, a step seen as vital to unlocking billions of dollars in reconstruction aid for the country.

Statistics:

• The Lebanese government has removed 10,100 rockets and 400 missiles as part of the government's disarmament plan.
• Hezbollah was estimated to have 150,000 projectiles before the war, with many being destroyed in the conflict.
• More than 270 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon since the truce.
• Tens of thousands remain displaced, mainly in the south, with little sense of whether they will be able to return home.
• The U.N. human rights office has said that more than 100 civilians have been killed in Israeli attacks.

Sources:

• Bloomberg News
• Reuters
• New York Times