Lebanon Bans Hezbollah's Military Wing
In a stunning move, Lebanon's Prime Minister has banned all military and security activities by Hezbollah. The decision is a direct attempt to prevent the country from being dragged deeper into the Iran-Israel war after Hezbollah launched its own attacks on Israel.
The Prime Minister's declaration asserts the state's exclusive right to decisions of war and peace, a direct challenge to Hezbollah's autonomy. The Lebanese Army has been ordered to enforce a plan to restrict weaponry to state control, a policy that has been met with resistance from Hezbollah in the past. This move follows a significant escalation where Hezbollah launched rockets and drones at a military site in northern Israel. In response, Israeli airstrikes targeted Beirut's southern suburbs and southern Lebanon, resulting in at least 31 deaths and 149 injuries, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. The decision to ban Hezbollah's military wing has been a long-standing international call, enshrined in agreements like the 1989 Taif Accord that ended Lebanon's civil war and UN Security Council Resolution 1701. Both documents required the disarmament of all militias in Lebanon, though Hezbollah was informally allowed to retain its arms to resist the Israeli occupation, which ended in 2000. Hezbollah's armed wing is widely considered more powerful than the Lebanese Armed Forces, with some estimates in 2021 by its leader Hassan Nasrallah claiming up to 100,000 fighters. The group maintains a significant arsenal of rockets and missiles, far exceeding the firepower of the national army. Despite the ban, Hezbollah maintains a strong political presence, holding seats in the Lebanese Parliament and positions in the cabinet. The group and its allies held 62 of the 128 parliamentary seats after the 2022 elections, and it has two ministers in the current government who objected to the decision during a reportedly "stormy" cabinet session. The government's plan to disarm Hezbollah is a multi-phase process. In January 2026, it announced the completion of the first phase in the area south of the Litani River. The army was instructed to "immediately and firmly" begin implementing the plan north of the Litani, where Hezbollah is believed to have substantial weapon production and storage facilities.
