Shehadeh calls for disarming Hezbollah 'as soon as possible'

BEIRUT — In an interview with the Russian news agency Sputnik shared on Wednesday, the Minister of Displaced Persons, Kamal Shehadeh, emphasized 'the need to disarm Hezbollah as soon as possible to obtain foreign support."
The discussions over Hezbollah's arsenal take place as Hezbollah emerges weakened from the war with Israel that started in October 2023 and escalated in September 2024, and in which much of the party's leadership was assassinated, including the leader himself. Also on Wednesday, President Joseph Aoun told Sky News Arabia that 'the decision to remove weapons' not under state control 'applies to the whole of Lebanese territory' but that 'the priority concern is the south of the country' where Hezbollah has a strong presence.
Shehadeh said in the Sputnik interview, relayed by the state-run National News Agency, that Lebanon was "on the path toward a resolution regarding Hezbollah's weapons."
The minister emphasized the need to disarm Hezbollah as soon as possible to obtain foreign support and restore the confidence of the Lebanese in the country, adding that 'no country is willing to invest in the reconstruction of Lebanon if the danger still exists, and the possibility of entering another war may lead to the destruction of what would be built.'
In response to a question about the government's priorities of demilitarization or Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon, Shehadeh commented: 'Both are priorities and the [cease-fire] agreement is clear: the state must extend its sovereignty over all Lebanese territories... most of the south is now under the control of the Lebanese state apparatus.'
A cease-fire agreement between Lebanon and Israel was reached in late November 2024, but it has since been violated numerous times. Although the Israeli army withdrew from Lebanese villages before Feb. 18, it is still present in five strategic points inside Lebanese territory.
Shehadeh added that all components of the government agree on "an exclusive control of arms, reconstruction and reform of the economy and administration.'
In this context, he revealed that 'the foreign vision of the government's plan, whether in terms of arms control or the start of economic reforms, is good."
'We have obtained confidence from the international community and there is support for the government's plan and a welcoming attitude toward the measures taken to date in terms of legislation and economic reforms,' he said.
Earlier this month, the Cabinet adopted a draft law on banking restructuring. This law is considered crucial concerning the financial reforms that Lebanon must undertake after six years of an exceptionally intense economic and financial crisis.
Last Thursday, the Lebanese parliament approved a long-awaited bill lifting banking secrecy, a key reform on which financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is dependent.
'100,000 IDPs have not returned home'
Regarding the situation of displaced persons in Lebanon, Shehadeh stressed that this file is one of the priorities of the Ministry of Displacement, revealing that 'about 200,000 housing units were destroyed by Israel during the recent war, and about 100,000 people have not returned to their homes.'
He stressed that 'the government's priority is to help the displaced and rebuild these homes, and this is the responsibility of the government as a whole, not just the Ministry of Displacement.'
Regarding Syrian refugees, the minister said: 'The situation in Syria has radically improved and the situation allows for the return of displaced Syrians to their country."
'The money spent in Lebanon to support the Syrians has a negative impact on the Lebanese economy ... if this money were spent to rebuild cities and villages in Syria, it would help create an economic dynamic that Syria needs," he added.
Lebanon hosts more than a million Syrian migrants, who fled the civil war in their country since 2011. Following the fall of the former Syrian regime in December 2024, many Syrians refugees have returned home. However, last March, massacres on the Syrian coast, in predominantly Alawite villages, drove more than 20,000 Syrians to seek refuge in North Lebanon, primarily in Akkar villages.

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