By Nohad Topalian | 2024-11-06

BEIRUT -- Hizbullah is violating the authority of the Lebanese state and undermining the work of the Lebanese army with its warmongering and its weapons, which remain outside state control, security experts said.

The Lebanese government recently indicated it is willing to curb the Iran-backed party by implementing United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1701.

Resolution 1701 calls for an end to all military operations between Hizbullah and Israel, the disarmament of all Lebanese factions, and the creation of a militant- and weapon-free zone between the Blue Line and the Litani river.

It also calls for the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south in cooperation with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

All the army needs in order to implement Resolution 1701 is a clear mandate from the authorities to confront Hizbullah, and expunge the state's security formula, "army, people, resistance," from ministerial statements, experts said.

This security formula, which gives Hizbullah "legitimacy without accountability," should be replaced in all instances with "people, state, army," they said.

Hizbullah possesses "a huge arsenal of advanced Russian and Chinese weapons," many of which are supplied by the Iranian regime, security expert Brig. Gen. Khalil al-Helou told Al-Fassel.

The Iran-backed party has fired more than 12,000 anti-tank missiles at Israel over the past year, most of which are Russian-made, he said.

Undermining state authority

"When a country does not know about the existence of weapons, and their owner is in its midst paralyzing its decisions and preventing the arming of its army, this is a violation of national sovereignty," al-Helou said.

"The army enjoys the support of the Lebanese, including Hizbullah's base, which demands that it protect them," he said.

"But the party's weapons violate the state's authority and undermine the work of the army, which alone has the right to use its weapons on all Lebanese territory, and to implement international resolutions," he said.

Hizbullah "possesses advanced Russian weapons such as Kornet missiles and uses them in its war today, as well as other Chinese and Iranian weapons," Lebanese military expert Maroun Hitti told Al-Fassel.

Its possession of these arms undermines the authority of the state and the Lebanese army, he added, and "has brought tragedies to Lebanon and its people" by threatening security and political stability.

While the Lebanese army must deploy in the south, under the terms of Resolution 1701, it lacks a clear mandate from a political authority that enables it to assume its responsibilities and confront Hizbullah, he explained.

This is why the "army, people, resistance" security formula must be expunged, and replaced with "people, state, army," Hitti said.