The US Roadmap to Disarmament Is a Road to Massacre

By Mohamad Hammoud

Lebanon – In his most recent visit to Beirut on July 22, US Special Envoy Tom Barrack made a series of polished yet hollow statements about Lebanon's security, the fragile ceasefire with “Israel,” and the ongoing demand to disarm Hezbollah. But behind the handshakes and headlines lies a sobering truth: the United States has neither the intention nor the ability to genuinely enforce the ceasefire it helped broker. Instead, Barrack’s mission appears designed to help “Israel” achieve through diplomacy what it has repeatedly failed to achieve through war—neutralizing Hezbollah while leaving Lebanon defenseless in the face of continued “Israeli” aggression.

A One-Sided Ceasefire

The November 2024 ceasefire was supposed to bring relief. Instead, over 450 Lebanese civilians have been killed by “Israeli” strikes—despite Hezbollah not firing a single retaliatory shot. Southern villages lie in ruins. Entire communities have been displaced. These are not isolated incidents; they are sustained, deliberate violations of a ceasefire that Washington still claims as a diplomatic victory.

Yet when asked whether the US would pressure “Israel” to stop its attacks, Barrack replied, “We cannot compel 'Israel' to do anything.” That admission is damning. The US is eager to broker peace deals—but refuses to enforce them. This isn’t diplomacy. It’s deception.

Disarmament Under Fire

More dangerous still is Washington’s pressure on the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah—while “Israel” continues to bomb Lebanese territory. The logic is both cynical and absurd: the only force capable of deterring “Israeli” attacks is being asked to surrender its weapons, while the aggressor remains unchecked and protected. When Hezbollah refuses, the US points the finger and labels it the main obstacle to peace.

But, as the saying goes, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” And Hezbollah—shaped by decades of occupation, betrayal, and bloodshed—has learned from history.

The Cost of Disarmament: Lessons from Massacres

History offers chilling lessons. In 1982, the PLO withdrew its fighters from Beirut under US guarantees that Palestinian civilians would be protected. Weeks later, “Israeli”-backed Phalangist militias stormed the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps and committed one of the worst massacres in modern Arab history. Between 800 and 3,500 unarmed civilians were slaughtered. The US did nothing.

And Sabra and Shatila was not an isolated failure.

In 1995, the UN disarmed Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica, promising protection. When Serb forces attacked, UN peacekeepers stood by—and over 8,000 men and boys were executed.

In Rwanda, Tutsis were disarmed just before the 1994 genocide. In Iraq, Yazidis surrendered their weapons under tribal assurances—only to be slaughtered and enslaved by ISIS.

The pattern is unmistakable: when oppressed people give up their weapons under foreign guarantees, they are not saved. They are massacred.

America’s Selective Enforcement and Broken Promises

Tom Barrack, speaking for the staunchly pro-“Israel” Trump administration, seems to expect Hezbollah—and by extension, the Lebanese people—to forget decades of Israeli aggression and simply disarm. And this, while “Israel” continues bombing Lebanese towns and villages.

Such ideas may appeal to a handful of Lebanese collaborators who have long aligned with the occupier. But for most patriotic Lebanese, disarmament is not a path to peace—it’s a death sentence. It’s national suicide.

The United States presents itself as a global champion of peace and the rule of law. In reality, it arms aggressors and shields them from accountability—especially when that aggressor is “Israel.” Its promises of fairness and diplomacy ring hollow when measured against its record.

Gaza: The Ultimate Proof of Hypocrisy

Nowhere is this hypocrisy more glaring than in Gaza.

We are now 21 months into “Israel’s” genocidal war. Since October 2023, over 106,000 Palestinians have been killed—including at least 17,400 children. More than 142,000 have been wounded. Half of Gaza’s population has been displaced. Famine is spreading. Hospitals, schools, and refugee camps have been deliberately bombed. Entire neighborhoods have been erased.

And how has the United States responded?

Not with condemnation. Not with sanctions. But with weapons shipments, diplomatic cover, and repeated vetoes at the United Nations.

This is the same United States now claiming it wants peace in Lebanon. Why should anyone believe that?

Deals Written in Vanishing Ink

The truth is that the United States—particularly under the Trump administration—has destroyed its credibility in the region. It speaks of a “rules-based order” while violating every rule. It signs agreements—like the Iran nuclear deal or Palestinian peace frameworks—and tears them up at will. It calls itself an honest broker, but acts solely in “Israel’s” interest.

Tom Barrack may talk of “sovereignty,” “internal reforms,” and “Lebanese ownership,” but the real agenda is clear: Washington wants Hezbollah disarmed not to secure peace—but to clear the path for “Israel’s” next war.

Hezbollah’s Position: No Trust Without Justice

Thankfully, Hezbollah is not naive. As Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Sheikh Naim Qassem have made clear, the resistance will not disarm while “Israel” continues its aggression.

There can be no peace without justice. And there can be no disarmament without meaningful security guarantees—something the United States has repeatedly failed to provide.

A Final Warning

If Washington truly wants peace in Lebanon, it must begin by ending its support for “Israel’s” violence. Until that happens, no one in Lebanon—not Hezbollah, not the families in the South, not the millions who remember Sabra and Shatila—has any reason to trust a word the United States says.