Lebanon ministers approve ban on Hezbollah’s military role, sparking cabinet debate

Report by Petra Abou Haidar, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

Lebanon’s government has issued a landmark decision immediately banning Hezbollah’s security and military operations, declaring them illegal, and requiring the group to hand over its weapons to the state, confining its work to political activities only. 

The decision followed more than five hours of consultations during an emergency cabinet session held in Baabda.

While the government acted decisively, questions remain over whether the move will be sufficient to halt Israeli attacks on Lebanon. 

Diplomatic sources said that after Hezbollah carried out strikes on Israel, international actors made it clear that a firm and decisive stance by the Lebanese government was required; otherwise, Israel would continue its operations, considering that Hezbollah still exercises state-level authority.

Sources noted that the minimum expected action was to declare Hezbollah an illegal organization, end its military role, and potentially curtail its political and financial influence. 

However, the cabinet, seeking broad domestic consensus, limited its decision to labeling Hezbollah’s security and military activities as outside state control, without addressing its political role.

Diplomatic observers said the current decision falls short of the decisive measures demanded externally and is not substantially different from previous resolutions, whose implementation was never fully enforced. In this context, escalation is expected to remain a dominant factor.

The cabinet session was reportedly tense, featuring verbal clashes between the prime minister and the army chief, as well as between the president and the health minister. The decision was approved by 22 of 24 ministers. 

The dissenting votes came from Hezbollah ministers Rakan Nassereddine and Mohammad Haidar, while Amal ministers Yassine Jaber and Tamara Al-Zein voted in favor, along with the fifth Shiite minister, Fadi Maki.

Hezbollah ministers not only abstained from supporting the resolution but also formally recorded their objections in the session minutes. 

The labor minister argued that labeling Hezbollah’s activities illegal merely appeases external actors and does not address domestic crises. 

The health minister specifically objected to provisions, discussed during the meeting, that would prevent the Lebanese army from engaging Israeli forces on Lebanese territory, leaving the matter to diplomatic solutions. 

Nassereddine said, “We objected to sidelining the army from confrontation and to the mechanism that forced it to implement the cabinet decision. We object to holding Hezbollah accountable; no one has the right to hold its resistance accountable.”

Other ministers, particularly those from the Lebanese Forces party, described the cabinet decision as a positive step but insufficient at this stage. Reports indicated that the Lebanese Forces pushed for a declaration that Hezbollah be recognized as an illegal organization in both its political and military capacities.