Lebanon edges toward showdown over Hezbollah arms
Shafaq News – Beirut
Lebanon remains under political tension after the army presented a plan to confine weapons to state authority, a step endorsed by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam but boycotted by Shiite ministers who walked out of the cabinet session.
The council of ministers “welcomed” the plan during its August 5 meeting at Baabda Palace, framing it within the 1989 Taif Agreement and Lebanon’s ministerial declaration, while deliberately avoiding the term “approval.”
In a post on X, Salam confirmed that the cabinet asked the army leadership to submit monthly reports on progress in carrying out the plan.
رحّبنا في مجلس الوزراء بخطة الجيش لحصر السلاح على كامل الأراضي اللبنانية وعلى تنفيذها ضمن الإطار المقرَّر في جلسة 5 آب ٢٠٢٥ كما قررنا الطلب من قيادة الجيش تقديم تقرير شهري إلى مجلس الوزراء بشأن التقدّم في تنفيذ هذه الخطة.
— Nawaf Salam نواف سلام (@nawafsalam) September 5, 2025
Lebanese MP Mark Daou described to Shafaq News the session as “historic,” arguing it set the country on the “right track toward full sovereignty by placing weapons solely in state hands.” He added that the development signaled “the decline of the Iranian axis in the region.”
Political Analyst Qassem Qassir, however, cautioned that the next steps hinge on how the government implements the army’s plan. “If the government insists on moving forward, Shiite ministers may freeze their participation, withdraw from the cabinet, or trigger street protests,” he told Shafaq News.
Qassir stressed that Shiite ministers control key portfolios, including finance, underlining that the government cannot function without this post, as the finance minister’s signature is required for the most important decrees.
