A bipartisan group of members of Congress urged the leaders of Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah immediately, even if they have to use force to accomplish that goal.
Led by Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Jefferson Shreve (R-Ind.), the lawmakers told Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in a letter that they had yet to live up to their commitment under a November 2024 ceasefire agreement to “begin a staged process toward dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure and restoring state authority across all Lebanese territory.”
“The consequences of allowing Hezbollah to rebuild are devastating for Lebanon’s security and peace in the region,” the lawmakers wrote. “Empty promises and partial measures that fall far short of disarming the group are clearly not enough.”
They cited reports that Hezbollah, the terrorist group on Israel’s northern border, has been rearming and rebuilding, including south of the Litani River, in violation of a United Nations Security Council resolution.
“The time for empty promises has passed,” the lawmakers wrote. “Every day your government fails to act in a meaningful way pushes Lebanon closer to renewed war and deeper into the grip of a terrorist organization loyal to Iran, not to the Lebanese people.”
Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Don Davis (D-N.C.), Jared Golden (D-Maine), Mark Messmer (R-Ind.), Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) and Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) also signed the letter.
“Lebanon’s obligations under the ceasefire are clear and so is the risk of continued delay,” they wrote. “As you work to implement your reform agenda and stabilize Lebanon’s economy, a prosperous Lebanon cannot coexist with an armed Hezbollah, nor can it thrive while its national army is sidelined by a militia acting as a state within a state.”
