US ramps up pressure on ‘failed state’ Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah
US ramps up pressure on ‘failed state’ Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah
M.U.H
03/11/202516
An American diplomat claims that Lebanon is collapsing, pressing the Arab country to disarm Hezbollah and open dialogue with the Israeli regime.
Speaking at the Manama Dialogue Forum in Bahrain on Saturday, Tom Barrack — the US special envoy for Syria — labeled Lebanon as a “failed state” over severe shortages within the Arab country’s military and public institutions, while pushing for Hezbollah’s disarmament amid Lebanon’s border tensions with the Israeli-occupied territories.
“Lebanon is a failed state. There’s no central bank. The banking system is bust. There’s no electricity — people rely on private generators. For water and education, you need private providers,” Barrack said, disregarding Lebanon’s decrepit civilian infrastructure as a result of US sanctions.
Claiming that the Lebanese Armed Forces suffer from “a lack of financial and human resources,” Barrack said the Israeli regime is prepared to reach an agreement with Lebanon on border demarcation.
The American envoy urged the Lebanese leadership to “join the negotiations and safeguard their borders,” adding, “It is unreasonable that there is no dialogue between Lebanon and Israel.”
Stressing that Lebanon’s leadership “must move faster to restrict Hezbollah’s weapons,” Barrack claimed, “There will be no problem between Lebanon and Israel if Hezbollah is disarmed.”
Barrack’s call for Hezbollah’s disarmament comes as the Israeli regime has, over the past years, repeatedly violated Lebanon’s sovereignty through airstrikes, drone incursions, and cross-border attacks.
The ongoing breaches of previous UN-brokered ceasefire agreements demonstrate that Tel Aviv has no genuine intention of de-escalation or respecting the Arab country’s territorial integrity.
Expressing concerns about the occupying regime’s security, Barrack warned that “thousands of rockets in southern Lebanon still threaten Israel,” saying time is running out for Lebanon to “bring weapons under control quickly.”
Claiming that regional stability depends on the disarmament of Hezbollah’s military power and advancing border discussions with Israel, the envoy warned that the Tel Aviv regime may act unilaterally if Beirut does not “assert state control.”
Hezbollah opened a support front for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip after Israel unleashed a genocidal war on the besieged territory on October 7, 2023, launching numerous retaliatory attacks against targets in the occupied lands.
Israel was forced to accept a ceasefire with Hezbollah on November 27, 2024, after suffering heavy losses on the battleground and failing to achieve its goals despite killing over 4,000 people in Lebanon.
Since then, the Israeli military has kept attacking Lebanon on an almost daily basis and has refused to withdraw its occupation troops from the Arab country.
The Israeli occupation forces remain positioned at five locations inside Lebanese territory and continue to shell parts of southern and eastern Lebanon, and Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The Israeli aggression has, since the November ceasefire, killed about 300 people and wounded more than 650, including women and children, according to the Lebanese government data.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem criticized on Friday the US role in Lebanon, slamming Washington as a sponsor of aggression rather than an impartial mediator.
Sheikh Qassem also held the Lebanese government responsible for protecting the country’s sovereignty, expelling the “enemy,” and stopping violations by preparing a plan that enables the national army to respond effectively to Israel’s regular onslaught.
