US pressure on Lebanon grows over Resistance disarmament plan
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Lebanon is reviewing a US proposal linking aid and ceasefire assurances to the disarmament of the Resistance, amid political backlash over what officials view as external interference.
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US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the airport in Damascus, Syria, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Lebanon has officially received a US response to its comments on Washington’s proposal tying aid and ceasefire guarantees to the disarmament of the Lebanese Resistance, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent reported Monday.
A Lebanese committee is currently reviewing the American reply, with particular attention to the US call for the Resistance to disarm by the end of 2025. The request, presented as part of a broader diplomatic package, has stirred political tensions and revived concerns about US pressure on Lebanon and foreign interference in national defense policy.
Washington renews push for Resistance disarmament
The US response follows remarks made by Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack, who earlier warned that Lebanon faced collapse or foreign domination if it rejected Washington’s conditions. Speaking to The National on July 12, Barrack portrayed the Resistance as a destabilizing force and proposed a deal linking disarmament to international aid and an end to Israeli military operations.
“We need to move,” he said, referring to the risks of regional realignment and citing Syria’s recovery as a model for Lebanon, comments widely criticized as coercive and politically charged.
Disarmament oversight plan dismissed
Among the most contentious elements of the US proposal is a suggestion to store Hezbollah’s heavy weapons in internationally monitored depots overseen by the US, France, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), and even “Israel.” The idea was swiftly dismissed in Beirut as provocative and unrealistic.
Barrack also floated the possibility of the LAF playing a central enforcement role, despite acknowledging the army’s current lack of resources and backing.
As the committee continues to study the American response, sources indicate that Lebanon is unlikely to accept any imposed Hezbollah weapons deadline. Officials have reiterated that decisions regarding national defense and Resistance remain internal matters, not subject to foreign timelines or conditional funding.
