Jumblatt Rejects US-Backed Hezbollah Disarmament Plan, Warns of “Imposed Surrender”

By Staff, Agencies

Veteran Druze leader Walid Jumblatt has denounced a US-backed initiative to disarm Hezbollah, calling it “an 'Israeli' diktat that forces us to surrender.”

In an interview with L’Orient-Le Jour on Friday, Jumblatt said the visiting US delegation proposed: “Disarm Hezbollah, and then we will see how to convince the Israelis to withdraw.”

He warned that Lebanon must first prioritize liberation of occupied territories and implementation of international resolutions, stressing that “the focus on weapons will not be accepted by a large part of the Shia community” and that dialogue with Hezbollah remains the only viable path.

The two-day visit by senior US lawmakers and envoys included meetings with President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

Talks centered on limiting weapons to state control and securing a full "Israeli" withdrawal from five Lebanese positions still occupied after recent hostilities.

Jumblatt argued that "Israeli" withdrawal must proceed in parallel with any disarmament process and cautioned against past mistakes where the army was turned against the people.

He also urged strengthening the Lebanese army with more manpower, better equipment, and improved salaries, while noting partial disarmament had already occurred south of the Litani River under UN resolutions.

Hezbollah, for its part, has warned that disarming under US-"Israeli" pressure would only encourage further occupation.

Political advisor Hussein al-Khalil accused Washington of setting “deadly traps” to pit the army against the resistance and weaken Lebanon’s defenses.