Beirut (TDI): The United States has presented Lebanon with a detailed proposal to fully disarm Hezbollah by the close of 2025, a move Washington says could help ease regional tensions and restore stability.
The plan was delivered by US President Donald Trump’s regional envoy, Tom Barrack, and came up for discussion during a Lebanese cabinet session on Thursday, according to Reuters.
It lays out a phased approach to remove weapons from the group, which has resisted growing calls to disarm since its conflict with Israel last year.
Information Minister Paul Morcos said the cabinet endorsed only the “objectives” of Barrack’s proposal without engaging in a clause-by-clause debate. “We did not get into the details or mechanics of the US plan,” he told reporters.
The proposal envisions a step-by-step process: phasing out the armed presence of non-state groups, expanding Lebanese army deployment across sensitive areas, ensuring Israel’s withdrawal from five contested positions, resolving prisoner cases via indirect talks, and formally demarcating Lebanon’s borders with Israel and Syria.
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A State Department spokesperson welcomed Beirut’s decision to authorize the Lebanese Armed Forces to bring all weapons under state control.
Hezbollah issued no public statement, but ministers from the group and its Shi’ite allies reportedly walked out of Thursday’s meeting in protest. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state television that decisions on disarmament rest with Hezbollah alone, saying, “We act as a supporter, but we do not interfere in their decision-making.”
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Last year’s fighting, triggered when Hezbollah opened fire on Israeli positions in October 2023 in solidarity with Hamas during the Gaza war, ended with a ceasefire in November. The US now wants that truce extended and reinforced, citing mounting complaints of Israeli violations, including airstrikes and cross-border raids.
The Roadmap in Four Phases
Phase 1 (15 days): Lebanon issues a decree committing to Hezbollah’s full disarmament by Dec. 31, 2025, while Israel halts all military operations.
Phase 2 (60 days): The Lebanese government begins implementation, backed by a detailed army deployment plan. Israel starts pulling back from positions in southern Lebanon, and prisoner exchanges take place under ICRC supervision.
Phase 3 (90 days): Israel vacates the last two of the five contested points, while funding is secured for rubble clearance and infrastructure repairs.
Phase 4 (120 days): Hezbollah dismantles remaining heavy weapons, including missiles and drones. An international economic conference, led by the US, Saudi Arabia, France, and Qatar, would then mobilize support for Lebanon’s reconstruction and economic recovery.
Washington has framed the initiative as part of President Trump’s broader vision to help Lebanon emerge as a stable, sovereign, and economically viable state.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
