On January 8, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi landed in Beirut with an economic delegation and, reportedly, four suitcases full of cash for Hezbollah, continuing Tehran’s tradition of sending officials to Lebanon as a show of power every time a crisis emerges. Yet this time feels different—the Islamic Republic’s latest wave of protests and international pressure has seemingly cornered the regime, presenting Beirut with an opportunity to shift the political narrative around Hezbollah and the pace of the disarmament process on the ground. Lebanese officials appear to sense this change—local media reports indicate that Araghchi was not allowed to bring in the money. Although this was not the first time that airport security had forced Iranian officials to return home with bags of cash, last week’s incident was widely broadcast in the Lebanese media, seemingly sending a signal to Hezbollah. Indeed, both President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have made strong statements against the group in recent days. During a January 11 interview with Tele Liban, Aoun stated that Hezbollah’s weapons had “outlived their purpose” and become a burden on the Lebanese people, including the group’s Shia constituency. A day later, during a meeting with the ambassadors of the five-nation contact group for Lebanon, Salam stated that the government is still determined to implement the plan for disarming Hezbollah north of the Litani River. Despite the president’s bolder-than-usual language, there are still no serious indications that the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) are prepared to translate these words into action, at least not beyond the country’s southern frontier zone. Yet this week’s developments highlight the new openings being created by Iran’s domestic crisis—openings that Washington and its partners should jump on quickly.
As Hezbollah Nervously Watches Iran, Washington Should Double Down on Disarmament (Hanin Ghaddar – The Washington Institute)
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