U.S. Seeks New Administration in Lebanon to Bully Hezbollah
The United States is calling for Lebanon to choose a new president and thereby loosen Hezbollah’s hold on the nation as part of solving the current Israel-Hezbollah conflict. The demand for a change at the top was raised as an answer to create an exit amid Lebanon’s worst economic crisis that has left it locked in political stalemate since 2019.
US Sees Opening in Israel-Hezbollah War
The White House also expressed hope that Israel’s offensive in Lebanon would break the political deadlock there. Some officials believe a way of tilting the balance back toward Riyadh and electing a new president is to attack Hezbollah’s leadership and knock out its military muscle. Since former president Michel Aoun’s tenure ended in 2022, Lebanon has been without a head of state.
Middle Eastern Allies Asked For Help
Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the leaders of Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia seeking help in electing a new Lebanese president to break its political deadlock. It aims to address, among others, the leadership vacuum which has expanded Hezbollah’s grip due in part to Lebanon’s long political deadlock. Lebanon’s parliament, which chooses the president, has long been unable to reach a consensus as no political bloc could muster enough votes.
How Hezbollah Plays Into the Impasse
Hezbollah and its Christian allies currently hold a 62-seat majority in the Lebanese parliament after slipping from their over-70 seat plurality in the elections of, but have nonetheless managed to control broad portions of local governance through means electoral, coercive, capitalist,and sectarian. Indeed, the group has effectively prevented a president from being elected before by its previous leader, Hassan Nasrallah – who was killed in an Israeli air strike — blocking every candidate except his friend Suleiman Frangieh.
Reviving U.N. Resolution on Secure Borders
The US is also seeking to revive UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which was meant to create a buffer zone free of armed militia along the Lebanon-Israel border. The resolution was adopted after the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war and aimed to confine armed forces in south Lebanon to the Lebanese government, or its UN peacekeeper. But, mostly due to its acknowledged inability to deter Hezbollah military build-up the plan has been ridiculed.
US Participation in Lebanese Politics and the Difficulties it Faces
The effort by the US to try influence Lebanon with a new leader bears multiple lengths. But critics argue that any effort to impact Lebanon’s internal politics risk widening fissures among sects and might even trigger disorder or conflict. Political commentators worry that a foreign tainted president could provoke political backlash.
Hezbollah: Well-Dug-In With An Uncertain Future
While there has been significant progress in Lebanon to undermine Hezbollah, experts say that the group’s influence is too deep-seated and well-entrenched for it ever be completely uprooted. I think this is unrealistic, but I also fear that it could open the door for even more radical alternatives,’’ said Joseph Bahout, director of the Issam Fares Institute at American University in Beirut.
Conclusion
The US backs new president in Lebanon, renews fight against Hezbollah through elections and border initiative But the road ahead is far from smooth, as laid out by numerous political splits in Lebanon. For more updates about this along other global news stay tuned on shaktiexpress. com.