US ready to back Lebanon in disarming Hezbollah amid border escalation with Israel
Lebanese and US forces plan to disarm Hezbollah militants (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
Washington is ready to support Lebanon in disarming armed groups, including the Iran-backed Hezbollah, to stabilize the country, reports Bloomberg.
The US expressed willingness to assist the Lebanese army in implementing the disarmament plan announced in August 2025, which has so far stalled due to Hezbollah’s resistance.
American officials also stated their readiness to help stabilize southern Lebanon, where Israel continues to carry out strikes on Hezbollah positions. The planned US support aims to end the operations of armed groups and restore full state control across Lebanese territory. The specific forms of assistance have not yet been disclosed.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who took office in January following the end of the two-month war between Israel and Hezbollah in late 2024, emphasized the need to pressure Israel to halt its continuous attacks on Lebanon.
Israel’s latest strikes on Lebanon
Last week, Israel carried out some of its heaviest airstrikes on Lebanon since the US- and France-brokered ceasefire took effect. The Israeli army said the attacks targeted Hezbollah’s attempts to rebuild its military capabilities after losses sustained during last year’s conflict.
Aoun stressed that Israel must fully comply with the ceasefire terms to allow Lebanese forces to deploy along the southern border and implement the disarmament plan. Over the summer, Lebanon’s military was tasked with devising a mechanism to establish full state control over all weapons in the country by the end of the year.
US Special Envoy for Lebanon Tom Barrack noted that the Lebanese government faces major difficulties in disarming Hezbollah, as the group refuses to lay down its arms, citing Israeli aggression.
Bloomberg points out that the situation in Lebanon poses risks to the fragile truce in Gaza between Israel and Hamas - Hezbollah’s ally and another Iranian proxy.
The ceasefire forms part of US President Donald Trump’s broader plan to end the war that has dragged on for more than two years.
Confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah
Israel and Hezbollah have been locked in a prolonged conflict since the early 1980s - one that periodically escalates into armed clashes and full-scale warfare, most notably the 2006 Lebanon War.
After the outbreak of the Gaza War in 2023–2024, tensions along the border sharply increased: Hezbollah has been shelling northern areas of Israel, while the Israeli army responds with strikes on the group’s targets in Lebanon.
In October, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) struck Hezbollah facilities inside Lebanon. The targets included a militant training camp and precision-guided missile production sites in the Bekaa Valley, as well as other military infrastructure.
In July, the Israeli army attacked Hezbollah’s largest factory producing precision-guided missiles, located in Lebanon.
Before that, the IDF had also carried out strikes on Hezbollah’s rocket launch sites in Lebanon.
