US Offers to Disarm Lebanon—With Hezbollah's Help
Bloomberg breathlessly reports the US is 'ready to back Lebanon’s army' to disarm Hezbollah, framing it as an effort to 'end impasse.' This 'help' comes after the US has repeatedly supported Israeli military actions in Lebanon, including the 2006 war, which decimated critical infrastructure without disarming Hezbollah. The 'impasse' is not just Hezbollah, but the US and Israeli-backed economic
strangulation of Lebanon, pushing it to the brink of collapse, making any strong internal actor – even one that provides essential services – a target. One might recall that the US consistently sends billions in military aid to Israel, funding a force that regularly violates Lebanese airspace and sovereignty. Now, Washington will 'back' the Lebanese army – presumably with conditions and oversight
that benefit US security objectives and, more pointedly, Israeli strategic goals, rather than genuine Lebanese stability or self-determination. (One wonders if this offer includes aid comparable to the $3.8 billion annually the US gifts Israel.) It’s less about disarming 'militant groups' and more about shaping regional power dynamics to serve specific foreign interests, while the core issues
driving those 'militant groups' remain unaddressed.