By Nohad Topalian | 2025-07-10

BEIRUT -- With Hizbullah's disarmament, mandated under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, Lebanon will regain its fiscal health and bring its Shia population back into the fold, political and economic experts said.

Yet the Iran-backed party's military wing continues to stall on the decision.

"Hizbullah is trying to procure incentives for itself and maintain its strongholds under the pretext of demanding Israel withdraw from the five hills," international relations professor Khaled al-Azzi told Al-Fassel.

Israeli forces have withdrawn from Lebanon under the terms of the November ceasefire with Hizbullah but remain in five strategic "overlook" locations in the south.

Hizbullah "owes loyalty to the Wilayat al-Faqih (Guardianship of the Jurist)," a doctrine that calls for allegiance to Iranian leader Ali Khamenei, al-Azzi said.

But the Iranian regime has failed to come to Hizbullah's defense, he said, suggesting that "a timetable should be set for serious discussion with the Lebanese government."

Disarmament would mean "a return to the state," he added, noting that the state protects Lebanon, not Hizbullah's missiles, which have even failed to protect the party and its former leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

"Disarmament means a return to life, an economic, social and security revival, and an effective engagement with the concept of a state that protects the rights of Shia and all Lebanese," he said.

Hizbullah signed the ceasefire deal, he said, and therefore "must implement the agreement and hand over its weapons, because the army is the protector of Lebanon."

Restoring security and prosperity

Hizbullah's weapons are "the primary obstacle to any future recovery for Lebanon and its economy," economist Violette Ghazal al-Balaa told Al-Fassel.

"Over the past two decades, they have been used to control the political decision-making process and all aspects of economic life, exploit state resources, and deprive the treasury of revenues from border, land and air ports," she said.

"Disarming Hizbullah will have a direct and positive impact on the general climate in Lebanon, with the advent of security stability," al-Balaa said.

"It will enhance the state's ability to implement the required reforms internally before they are imposed by the International Monetary Fund. This will help attract foreign investment," she said.

"It also will strengthen Lebanon's relations with the international community," she added, "which could open the door to economic aid and investment."

It would allow the state to implement economic reforms "that would contribute to improving the performance of services necessary to revive the economic cycle and increase the gross domestic product (GDP)," al-Balaa said.

This would in turn allow for "the creation of new job opportunities and lead to an improvement in the standard of living."