Lebanon's PM Bans Hezbollah's Military Activities
In a surprising and dramatic political shift, Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has issued an order banning all military and security activities by Hezbollah. The move is a clear attempt to prevent Lebanon from being dragged into the escalating Iran-Israel war, though the ban's enforceability against the powerful, Iran-backed group is highly uncertain.
Hezbollah has long been described as a "state within a state," operating a military force considered more powerful than the official Lebanese Armed Forces. As of 2021, Hezbollah's leader claimed the group had 100,000 fighters, and its arsenal is estimated to include over 150,000 rockets and missiles, many of which are precision-guided. This move by the Prime Minister is an attempt to enforce long-ignored international mandates. UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Lebanon War, explicitly called for the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon and for the area south of the Litani River to be free of any weapons other than those of the state and UN peacekeepers. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who took office in February 2025, is a veteran diplomat and jurist who previously served as President of the International Court of Justice. Hailing from a prominent Sunni political family, he was seen as a technocratic candidate for prime minister who could bring reform after years of political paralysis. The 1989 Taif Agreement, which ended Lebanon's civil war, called for the "disbanding of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias." However, Syria, which occupied Lebanon at the time, allowed Hezbollah to keep its weapons, cementing its unique status as an armed political actor. Salam's government, formed in February 2025, won a vote of confidence but still operates within Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system. Key cabinet positions are allocated by religious sect, and the government includes ministers selected by the "Shiite Duo" of Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal movement.
