Lebanon's Hezbollah rejects US roadmap as ‘surrender’
Hezbollah’s first response to the US roadmap for Lebanon came in a speech earlier this month by the group’s leader, Naim Qassem, who declared: “We are a people who do not surrender.”
US Special Envoy Tom Barrack has proposed a plan to Lebanon’s top officials that would see the full disarmament of Hezbollah within four months. In return, Israel would halt its strikes and withdraw its forces from positions it still occupies in southern Lebanon.
In his address, Qassem reiterated Hezbollah’s readiness to discuss all matters, including its weapons, but only within the context of a Lebanese national dialogue, and not under American pressure or threats.
Last week, Hezbollah MPs said that recent parliamentary hearings have shown there is room for national consensus on key sovereignty-related issues.
One of the main concerns increasingly raised by the international community has been the deepening crisis of trust between foreign powers and the Lebanese leadership, particularly the president and the prime minister.
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Western diplomatic sources told Middle East Eye that foreign governments remain sceptical about the Lebanese state’s ability to implement weapons containment and broader reforms.
According to sources close to Hezbollah, the group’s recent messaging has been intentional and clear: it rejects the US proposal outright, viewing it not as a basis for negotiation but as a surrender document - and therefore unacceptable.
'Total surrender'
Barrack, who is also special envoy for Syria, returned to Beirut this week for his third visit in just over a month, continuing discussions around the US-backed roadmap for Lebanon.
The plan includes the disarmament of non-state armed groups, long-overdue economic reforms, and improved relations with Damascus.
From Hezbollah’s perspective, the flurry of visits, meetings, and press conferences led by Barrack "carries no blessing". Sources close to the group say Hezbollah rejects the idea of disarmament while Israeli occupation and threats persist.
However, it remains open to negotiating the transfer of its weapons to the Lebanese army within the framework of a national defence strategy.
For months, Lebanon has requested that the US serve as a security guarantor, ensuring that Israel fully withdraws its forces and stops targeting Hezbollah members - strikes that have persisted despite the ceasefire - should the group begin surrendering its weapons.
However, when asked on Monday whether Washington would guarantee the Israeli withdrawal, Barrack responded that the US "has no business in trying to compel Israel to do anything".
Barrack also told reporters that the US was not going to force Hezbollah to disarm, or sanction the country if progress is not achieved.
While Hezbollah has handed in some weapons from depots in the country's south to the Lebanese army, Israel says the group is violating the ceasefire by attempting to re-establish itself.
Hezbollah has opposed Israeli pressure on the Lebanese army to destroy any weapons it receives from the group, viewing it as an attempt to prevent their integration into Lebanon’s national defence strategy.
The sources cited one incident in which the Lebanese army took possession of a rocket launcher from a Hezbollah depot but did not destroy it. This prompted an immediate warning from the international monitoring committee established after the ceasefire, chaired by a US general.
The same sources said an earlier US proposal had been more reasonable than what they described as Barrack’s offer of “total surrender”.
Pressure and preconditions
Washington has set firm conditions: a clear, written timeline for implementation starting in south Lebanon and expanding northward, swift execution within weeks, and full weapons containment by the end of the year.
It also calls for direct international monitoring of every step, including documented access to Hezbollah’s weapons depots, photographic evidence of the arms, and a public acknowledgment from Hezbollah endorsing the disarmament mechanism.
In parallel, Lebanon has outlined its own set of demands: full Israeli compliance with the ceasefire, the activation of the international monitoring committee, and the continued presence and role of the United Nations Interim Force, Unifil, in Lebanon.
Beirut has also requested assurances regarding the situation in Syria, reflecting growing concern among Lebanese factions about the fallout from recent developments, particularly in the Druze-majority Sweida province.
The sectarian violence in Syria has further complicated the Lebanese security landscape. Observers say that the ongoing violence and Israeli attacks on Syria has reinforced Hezbollah’s argument for holding onto its weapons as a means of protecting vulnerable communities.
During his previous visit to Beirut earlier in July, Barrack said he was satisfied with the Lebanese government’s response to the US proposal.
Still, he warned that without a serious commitment from Lebanon, neither the West nor the Gulf appear ready to provide support for the country’s recovery.
“Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and now the UAE are coming in and saying, ‘If we can get to where everybody can just calm down, we will help redevelop that portion of Lebanon,’ which is huge,” Barrack told reporters.
“They are ready to provide [funding]” once Hezbollah is disarmed, he said.
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