Lebanon is likely to succeed at disarming Hezbollah because it has no choice, according to political analyst Selena Ryan.
Speaking on the most recent episode of ILTV’s Insider, Ryan explained that international and domestic pressures are converging.
“We can see that America is putting Lebanon under a lot of pressure. Lebanon is under a lot of pressure itself, because economically, the situation in Lebanon is not good at all," Ryan said. "They need money. They need help. They need to restart the country. They need to restart the economy. And the only way that the Gulf states and the Americans are going to help and restart or reset the country is by disarming Hezbollah.”
Watch previous episodes of Insider:
Mark Regev, a former Israeli ambassador, agreed with Ryan and took the optimism one step further. He said Lebanon’s own political and social structures are aligned with the international community in wanting Hezbollah disarmed.
“My understanding today is that the Lebanese communities that are not Hezbollah—the Druze, the Christians, and the Sunni Muslims—they all agree Hezbollah has to be disarmed,” Regev told Insider.
Regev reminded viewers that Beirut was once called the “Paris of the Middle East,” but today, due to terror and corruption, it is bankrupt.
“Lebanon has a chance to move forward, and they know how to do it,” Regev said. “They have to disarm Hezbollah, and I think there's a good chance it can happen.”
At the same time, he cautioned that Israel must “play its cards very carefully” by conditioning its withdrawal from the five positions it still holds in Lebanon on Hezbollah’s dismantlement.
“That will give leverage to the president of Lebanon, to the other actors, to say, ‘Hezbollah, your failure to disarm is leaving Israel on our territory.’”
Watch the full Insider:
Insider 30,08,2025
(ILTV )
