Hezbollah Ready To Use Weapons As Long As Israeli Army Withdraws From Lebanon

JAKARTA - Senior Hezbollah officials have stated that they are ready to hold talks with the Lebanese president regarding gunfire if Israel withdraws from southern Lebanon and stops its attacks.

Prospects of talks aimed at securing Hezbollah's ceasefire emphasize a dramatic change in the balance of Middle East forces since Israel hit the Iran-backed group in a devastating conflict sparked by the Gaza war.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who is supported by the US, wants to immediately open negotiations with Hezbollah regarding his weapons, three Lebanese political sources said.

Hezbollah appeared in a very weak condition due to the 2024 conflict with Israel when its main leaders and thousands of its fighters were killed and most of its rocket weapons destroyed. The blow got worse when its ally Bashar al-Assad was ousted from power in Syria, cutting off its supply lines from Iran.

Senior Hezbollah officials said the group was ready to discuss its weapons in the context of a national defense strategy but this relies on Israel pulling its troops from five hilltops in southern Lebanon.

"Hezbollah is ready to discuss the issue of his weapons if Israel withdraws from the five points and stops its aggression against Lebanon," the senior official told Reuters.

Hezbollah's position regarding potential discussions about his weapons has never been reported before. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity due to political sensitivity.

Israel, which sent ground troops to southern Lebanon during the war, has mostly withdrawn but decided in February not to leave five positions on the top of the hill. Israel intends to hand it over to Lebanese troops once it believes security situations are possible.

Despite a ceasefire since November, Israeli airstrikes have continued to pressure the group. Meanwhile, Washington has demanded Hezbollah's ceasefire and is preparing for nuclear negotiations with Hezbollah supporters in Iran.

Hezbollah has become the strongest paramilitary group Iran-backed in the entire region.

Reuters reported on Monday that several Iranian-backed militia groups in Iraq were ready to strip for the first time to avoid the threat of an escalating conflict with the Trump administration in the US.

Hezbollah has long rejected calls from critics in Lebanon to lay off weapons, describing his weapons as vital to defending the country from Israel.

Deep differences of opinion regarding its arsenal led to a brief civil war in 2008.

Critics of the group said the group had unilaterally dragged Lebanon into conflict and the existence of its large weapons beyond government control had weakened the country.

A US-brokered ceasefire with Israel required the Lebanese army to dismantle all unauthorized military facilities and confiscate all weapons, starting in the southern region of the Litani River, which flows into the Mediterranean about 20 km (12 miles) north of the Israeli border.