Lawrence J. Haas
There is much more that Beirut, Washington, and Jerusalem can do together to remove the notorious paramilitary from Lebanon.
As Lebanese president Joseph Aoun moves to neutralize Hezbollah as a military force as part of his efforts to rebuild that war-torn country, the United States and Israel must offer their support. But they need to do so artfully without triggering a backlash that would undercut Aoun and, with him, prospects for change.
The opportunity to fully defang Hezbollah—which, if not taken, may not arise again for some time—comes in the aftermath of the terror group’s disastrous decision to mount a second front against Israel in the wake of Hamas’ October 7, 2023 slaughter of 1,200 Israelis. Israel’s counterattack against Hezbollah last fall decapitated its leadership, leaving the group largely rudderless and significantly weakened.
The question now is whether Aoun’s government will follow through or, instead, give Hezbollah the room to reconstitute itself as a dangerous and lethal force. The stakes could hardly be higher for Lebanon and the region.
Hezbollah, long considered the Middle East’s most powerful non-state actor, is both a militia and a political party. In the areas of Lebanon that it controls as a “state within a state,” Hezbollah runs schools, hospitals, and other social institutions.
Until last September, it was the most powerful member of Iran’s “axis of resistance,” a network of groups that helps Tehran wield asymmetric influence across the region and beyond.
But times have changed dramatically for both Iran and Hezbollah, making Aoun’s move against the latter a major opportunity for Washington, Jerusalem, and regional stability.
No comments:
Post a Comment