Lebanon: “Hastuki” government in Hezbollah – Disarming the southern part of the country

General Joseph Aoun was elected yesterday (09.01.2025) as its president, with the leader of the country’s armed forces stating from the first moment that the security of civilians, which will be achieved when the state acquires the arms monopoly, with the look at it. This also confirmed that the country’s Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, who stressed today (10.01.2025) that the state will begin disarming southern Lebanon, particularly the areas south of the Litani River, to establish the presence of the official regular army in the region, which will ensure a truce between Israel and Hezbollah. CORVERSE These statements indicate the intention of the new political leadership Hezbollah, after her political defeat, will also suffer a defeat on the field, with the disarmament and control of its militants, who are still deployed in Lebanon and especially in the southern part of the country. “We are in a new phase, in this new phase, we will start with southern Lebanon and the southern part of the Litani River especially to withdraw weapons (from armed fighters, so that the state will be present throughout Lebanon, ” said the Lebanese Prime Minister. Newly elected President Aun said yesterday: “A new era in Lebanon’s history begins and I will work to ensure that his right to carry arms belongs exclusively to the state. I promise that everything that destroyed Israel will be rebuilt in the south and southern districts of Beirut.” CORVERSE Mikati in Damascus “The head of government’s visit is made following an invitation sent to him by Ahmed al Sara”, the new leader of Syria, clarified the same source. Prime Minister Najib Mikati spoke by phone with al Sarah on January 3, shortly after Syrian new authorities imposed restrictions on the entry of Lebanese citizens into Syria. These imposed these restrictions on the land border between the two countries after, as described by the Lebanese army, a border exchange of fire with armed Syrians. Lebanon’s eastern border with Syria is described as porous and is known as a smuggling zone. Mikati’s visit will be Lebanon’s first official in the country, since President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown on 8 December and the taking over of power by Islamic rebels. Syrian influence in Lebanon The new Syrian leader assured that his country would no longer have “negative involvement” in Lebanon and respect the sovereignty of its neighboring country. Syria was for three decades a dominant political and military force in Lebanon, where it had intervened during the 1975–1990 civil war and where it was attributed to many murders of political personalities. She withdrew her troops in 2005 under pressure from the international community, following the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.