Washington is wading into one of the Middle East’s most volatile standoffs, and it’s backing Lebanon’s army to do it.
The United States has offered support to help Lebanon’s military disarm militant groups, including the powerful Iranian-backed organisation Hezbollah, in a move aimed at stabilising the country’s tense southern border with Israel.
The proposal follows a plan first announced in August, one that’s made little progress amid deep political divides and Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm. According to Lebanon’s state-run NNA news agency, the offer was made during a meeting between US officials and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the presidential residence near Beirut.
Aoun, who took office in January after a US- and French-brokered ceasefire ended a two-month war between Israel and Hezbollah, said American support could help Lebanon regain full control of its territory.
“Israel must adhere to the peace deal for our forces to be deployed near the southern borders,” Aoun said, calling on Washington to pressure Tel Aviv to halt what he described as “continuous assaults” on Lebanese soil.
A Fragile Peace Under Fire
Tensions have remained high despite the truce, with Israel launching some of its heaviest airstrikes on Lebanon in recent weeks. The Israeli military insists its operations target Hezbollah as the group allegedly rebuilds its arsenal, capabilities that were heavily degraded during last year’s war.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah continues to refuse to surrender its weapons, claiming its arms are needed to resist Israeli “aggression.” The standoff has stalled Lebanon’s U.S.-backed disarmament plan, which aims to ensure all weapons remain under state control by the end of the year.
Washington’s Calculated Move
The US delegation, led by Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to the President, signalled Washington’s readiness to bolster Lebanon’s armed forces, though it stopped short of specifying what kind of aid or equipment might be provided.
Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Lebanon, admitted Beirut was struggling to wrest control of Hezbollah’s vast arsenal, a long-standing obstacle to restoring state sovereignty.
The timing is no coincidence. The US fears that renewed conflict in Lebanon could unravel the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, where a truce between Israel and Hamas, another Iranian-backed proxy, remains on a knife-edge.
A Regional Powder Keg
Both Hezbollah and Hamas are seen as key arms of Iran’s regional influence, and any escalation in Lebanon could easily reignite a broader confrontation involving Israel and its allies.
For now, Washington’s message is clear: Lebanon’s army must be empowered to enforce order, and Hezbollah’s days as an armed state-within-a-state must come to an end. But with southern Lebanon still echoing with the threat of airstrikes and political will divided in Beirut, that’s easier said than done.
