Under Pressure... Hezbollah Weighs Scaling Back its Arsenal

Reducing its role as an armed group

Hezbollah has launched a major strategic review following its devastating war with Israel, which includes discussions about reducing its role as an armed group—though without fully surrendering its weapons, three informed sources told Reuters.

A regional security source and a senior Lebanese official said there are also doubts about how much support Iran, now emerging from a fierce conflict with Israel, can continue to provide.

Another senior official familiar with Hezbollah’s internal deliberations said the group is holding secret discussions over its next steps.

The official added that small committees are meeting either in person or remotely to discuss issues such as the group’s leadership structure, political role, social and development work, and its weapons.

According to the official and two other sources familiar with the talks, Hezbollah has concluded that the vast arsenal it built to deter Israel and prevent attacks on Lebanon has become a liability.

“Hezbollah had a surplus of power, and all that power turned into a curse,” the official said, emphasizing that Hezbollah is “not suicidal.”

The sources said Hezbollah is now considering handing over some of the weapons it stores in other parts of the country—particularly missiles and drones, which pose the biggest threat to Israel—on the condition that Israel withdraws from southern Lebanon and halts its attacks.

However, the sources said the group will not give up its entire arsenal. Hezbollah, for example, plans to retain light weapons and anti-tank missiles as a means of repelling future attacks.