US officials warn Lebanon inaction on Hezbollah may push Israel to 'finish the job'
Lebanon’s leaders are running out of time to disarm Hezbollah before they risk losing U.S. and Gulf Arab financial support, and even a renewed Israeli military campaign, the New York Times quoted U.S. officials as saying, ahead of a key cabinet meeting in Beirut on Friday.
The warning comes at what U.S. officials call a critical moment in Lebanon’s history, as the country’s cabinet considers a plan to force Hezbollah to surrender its weapons.
The United States, Israel and the Gulf Arab states are pressuring Lebanon’s government to “act decisively and not be intimidated by Hezbollah threats to incite violence,” the New York Times said.
Administration officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy, worry that Lebanon’s government will flinch from a potential confrontation with Hezbollah, the U.S. newspaper reported.
One official warned that inaction or half measures could lead Congress to cut off America’s roughly $150 million in annual funding for the Lebanese Army.
The greater risk to Lebanon from delay or half-measures, U.S. officials say, is that Israel will conclude it must “finish the job,” as one put it, through renewed military campaign that could incur major damage and casualties.
Lebanese leaders complain that Israel has not made a credible commitment to withdraw in concert with the disarmament plan. That leaves them exposed to political charges that they are doing the bidding of a foreign occupier by acting against Hezbollah.
Edward Gabriel, president of the American Task Force on Lebanon, said that any plan’s success depends not only on a credible plan for disarming Hezbollah, but also “clear assurances of Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanese territory.” Gabriel added that “U.S. mediation will be indispensable” to achieving that balance.
Beirut’s distrust is compounded by a lack of communication between Israel and Lebanon, where it is a crime to interact with Israelis. One of the Trump officials called establishing contact between the Lebanese and Israeli armies a vital goal.
