Pro-Iranian voices are closely watching the moves of Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who has said, “What the government is doing is to consolidate the concept of a strong and just state and serve the interests of Lebanon and the Lebanese.”
Tehran has sought to hollow out and weaken Lebanon over the last decades, using Hezbollah as a proxy within the country. Any attempt by the government to create a stronger state, such as by collecting the weapons of all the militias in the nation, will challenge Iran’s regional agenda and weaken Hezbollah.
Hezbollah: Weaker today than it has been in decades?
There is a belief today that Hezbollah is weaker than it has been in decades, which presents an opportunity for those like Salam and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to alter the country’s trajectory.
Salam made his latest comments during a meeting with the country’s grand mufti. “Rebuilding the state must remain a hallmark of the difficult and delicate phase Lebanon is going through,” Salam said, “no matter how intense the storms and how many obstacles grow.”
The Lebanese leader stressed that “we will continue our efforts to achieve the required reform and extend the state’s authority over all its territories using its own resources to advance the state and its institutions. Despite the difficulties and challenges, our most powerful weapon will remain national unity, will, determination, and optimism to reach safe shores for our homeland, which has been wounded by the ongoing Israeli aggression.”
Salam is currently facing a complex series of challenges. He and Aoun came to power with the promise of reforming Lebanon and restoring state control over all parts of the country. This came after Israel defeated Hezbollah last October and the terror group agreed to a ceasefire the following month.
This paved the way for the fall of the Assad regime in December. Hezbollah has now been relatively quiet in Lebanon, waiting to see what happens. It is closely following the new government’s promises to disarm various groups, including Hezbollah. In order to build capacity and legitimacy for disarming the terrorist group, the government has already begun to disarm Palestinian groups in a dozen of the country’s refugee camps. This has so far proceeded well in Tyre and is now occurring in Beirut.
Hezbollah has warned that any attempt to take its arms could lead to clashes and civil conflict. Salam stressed that “the Council of Ministers will spare no effort to preserve every centimeter of the homeland.”
The grand mufti has praised Salam’s “wisdom, patience, and efforts in local, Arab, and international communications to overcome the obstacles facing the government and the rule of law.” The mufti expressed his commitment to supporting the government in its national work despite the challenges it faces.
Lebanon's new leaders shore up religious support
It is clear that both Salam and Aoun are trying to shore up religious support for their next moves. Aoun recently gave a speech on the anniversary of the disappearance of Sayyed Musa al-Sadr, a Lebanese-Iranian Shi’ite cleric, politician, and key player in the foundation of the Amal Movement.
Sadr disappeared in 1978 on a trip to Libya. He was traveling with two men, Mohamad Yaacoub and Abbas Bader el-Dine.
Aoun said that al-Sadr “was not just a religious man, but a symbol of national unity and social justice, and a beacon of interfaith and inter-sectarian dialogue.”
He affirmed his commitment to “following up on the issue of his disappearance at all levels and not compromising Lebanon’s right to know the full truth.”
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri will deliver a televised address on Sunday to mark the 47th anniversary of the disappearance of al-Sadr and his two companions.
Aoun is trying to use this anniversary to show his support for the Shi’ites, some of whom back Hezbollah.
But in order to get the arms from the terrorist group, the government will need more Shi’ites to refrain from seeing disarming as a threat to their role in the country.