The administration of US President Donald Trump has approved an assistance package worth $14.2 million to help Lebanon with a plan to disarm the Hezbollah resistance movement.
In a statement on Wednesday, the US Department of War announced the news, as Beirut is under growing pressure from the United States and Israel to disarm Hezbollah, which has played a key role in defending the Arab country in the face of constant aggression by the occupying entity over the past few decades.
The Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) package “will build the capability and capacity of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to dismantle weapons caches and military infrastructure of non-state groups, including Hezbollah,” the Pentagon said in its statement.
The PDA, which includes demolition equipment such as shaped charges, blasting caps, detonating cords, and time fuses, along with generators and transportation tools, is designed to assist the LAF in safely removing unexploded ordnance and dismantling Hezbollah’s weapons caches and military infrastructure.
Beirut recently approved a plan to disarm Hezbollah and other armed groups. The resistance group has repeatedly rejected the plan, vowing never to give up its arms.
The US package comes nearly a year after the latest Israel-Hezbollah conflict, which ended with a fragile ceasefire in November 2024. Despite the truce, tensions remain high, as Israel continues to violate Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
On August 7, the Lebanese cabinet formally approved the objectives of the disarmament plan, and three days later set a timeline requiring all weapons to be placed under state authority by the end of 2025. The announcement triggered nationwide protests, with demonstrators saying Hezbollah’s arms remain vital for defending Lebanon.
On September 5, five Shia ministers, including representatives from Hezbollah and its allied Amal movement, walked out of a Lebanese cabinet session in protest at the arrival of the army chief, who was scheduled to present a draft disarmament plan for Hezbollah.
As calls to disarm Hezbollah grow louder from Washington and Israel, many in Lebanon warn that such efforts ignore the core issue of Israel’s continued and near-daily violations of Lebanese sovereignty and airspace.
Hezbollah is viewed as the only credible military force capable of confronting the occupation and preventing further Israeli incursions.
Observers, meanwhile, warn that US interference in Lebanon’s internal security affairs could exacerbate political tensions within the country.
Source:Websites
