Description: Senior unidentified Hezbollah officials have publicly called for the group’s disarmament while conditioning Israel to withdraw its military presence from Lebanon. Israel launched significant military offensives in the past couple of months in persecution of the terrorist organization which significantly depleted Hezbollah’s capacities and operational outreach. Iran’s most seriously financed proxy followed offshoots of other militant groups in Iraq and called for a larger disarmament campaign if and whether Israel withdraws its military. President Joseph Aoun ever since his inauguration in Jan pledged to dismantle terrorist organizations operating in Lebanon and reestablish the Lebanese military under government supervision.
Impact: Hezbollah’s calls for disarmament, although conditioned, are most probably a negotiating tool and tactic to draw public opinion against Israel’s warfare campaigns in Lebanon. Israel would most certainly not agree or even entertain the idea of abandoning strategic positions in Lebanon as its involved in a multidirectional confrontation with militant forces from the region mostly originating from Lebanon and Syria. The announcement also could indicate a considerable shift in strategy from the terrorist organization which could be looking to infiltrate Lebanese government channels which in the long term could be used to directly confront Israel, both militarily and diplomatically. This development represents a significant step which would most likely be downplayed by Israel and deemed irrelevant as their priorities lie in advancing their military campaigns in the region.