Saudi source: No investment in Lebanon without Hezbollah’s disarmament
A member of the Saudi royal family told Kan News on Saturday that from Saudi Arabia’s perspective, Hezbollah must be disarmed and turned into a purely political party; otherwise, Saudi investments will not flow into Lebanon.
The Saudi source said there is satisfaction with the Lebanese government’s recent steps toward the handing over of Hezbollah’s weapons, and that there is agreement among Saudi Arabia, France, the United States, and the Gulf states that this is the necessary course of action.
If Hezbollah refuses to hand over its weapons, the same Saudi source believes the group could be harmed either by actors within Lebanon or by external forces, such as Israel and the new Syrian government, which is hostile to Hezbollah.
This week, the Lebanese government held a tense meeting about transferring Hezbollah’s weapons to state control, under heavy pressure from the U.S. and the Gulf states, led by Saudi Arabia.
At the end of the meeting, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced that the Lebanese Army had been tasked with formulating a plan to implement the concentration of weapons in state hands by the end of this year.
According to Salam, the army must submit the plan by the end of this month.
During the meeting, Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem declared he would not agree to hand over weapons nor to any timetable set at the meeting.
“We will not agree to timetables or to handing over weapons without Israel implementing the ceasefire agreement,” Qassem said, adding, “There will be no solution to this issue without our consent.”
Roi Kais is an Arab Affairs correspondent for Kan 11.
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