Hezbollah has warned it would fight any future US-trained Lebanese force as clashes with Israel intensify in south Lebanon [Getty]
Hezbollah has threatened to fight any Lebanese force set up by the United States to confront the group, amid mounting speculation over plans for a US-backed military unit tasked with disarming the movement.
Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah warned on Tuesday that the group would treat any such force as it does Israel.
“If Israel and the United States create a proxy army to fight the resistance, then we will fight it as we fight Israel,” Fadlallah said during a press conference on Tuesday.
The remarks came amid growing political tensions in Lebanon ahead of a planned security meeting at the Pentagon on 29 May involving Lebanese and US officials, as discussions continue over post-war arrangements in southern Lebanon.
Washington has been pushing for the creation of a special Lebanese military unit made up of selected army forces trained and vetted by the US, tasked with dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure south of the Litani River.
Some reports also said that US intelligence personnel had increased their presence in Beirut and that discussions included the possibility of a joint operations room involving Lebanon, Israel and the US.
Fadlallah strongly rejected any such proposals, warning against attempts to drag Lebanon into internal conflict on behalf of foreign powers.
“We are not against diplomacy, but we support indirect diplomacy backed by the strength of the resistance,” he said.
He also criticised Lebanese authorities for “concessions” made under external pressure, warning that unilateral decisions over negotiations with Israel could threaten internal stability.
The Hezbollah MP called for strengthening the Lebanese army so it could confront Israeli attacks, while insisting that fighting Israel was still legitimate as long as Israeli forces continued occupying Lebanese territory.
Lebanese officials have attempted to distance themselves from reports about a US-backed anti-Hezbollah force.
Official Lebanese sources told The New Arab that Beirut had not been formally informed of any plans to establish a special military unit or any form of direct military coordination with Israel.
The sources stressed that Lebanon remained committed to preserving civil peace and that the Lebanese army was capable of carrying out its duties provided it received logistical and financial support.
They also rejected reports of direct Lebanese-Israeli military cooperation, insisting that any future arrangements would remain tied to Israel’s withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory and the reactivation of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism.
Retired Lebanese brigadier general Bassam Yassin also questioned the need for any special force outside the existing army structure, warning that attempts to create such a unit risked provoking internal tensions and serving Israeli objectives.
He told The New Arab that pushing the Lebanese army into direct confrontation with Hezbollah would be “dangerous” and “unrealistic”.
