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Lebanon’s FPM, Hezbollah Make Progress in Their Dialogue

FPM leader MP Gebran Bassil. (AP)
FPM leader MP Gebran Bassil. (AP)
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Lebanon’s FPM, Hezbollah Make Progress in Their Dialogue

FPM leader MP Gebran Bassil. (AP)
FPM leader MP Gebran Bassil. (AP)

The dialogue between Lebanon’s Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and Hezbollah is making progress over a number of issues in the country.

Sources from the FPM said the talks are not only limited to the presidential elections but have covered the “building of the republic.”

Head of the FPM MP Gebran Bassil said: “There can be no election of a president without understanding and we are counting on intra-Lebanese dialogue to achieve this.”

“We hope the dialogue will continue and our invitation is always open,” he told a press conference after a meeting of the FPM political council.

He revealed that a “preliminary agreement” has been reached with Hezbollah over the “course of the adoption of a consensual” presidential candidate in return for “national demands.”

“We are still in the early stages of the dialogue with Hezbollah. We have made proposals and are awaiting their response,” he went on to say.

“What we have proposed with the party is not a deal, but political work that we have spoken about with all the Lebanese,” he added.

Hezbollah has described the return to dialogue with its Christian ally as positive. It did not comment further on the talks.

Reports have said that any agreement in the dialogue may pave the way for a meeting between Bassil and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The FPM sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the dialogue has reached a “serious phase and may only take a few days.”

“We are serious and hope the other party would be serious in responding to our proposals,” they added.

They revealed that the talks have addressed the Taif Accord and calls to implement it as a follow up to the document of presidential priorities that the FPM had previously submitted.

The FPM believes that their implementation will form the foundation of the republic ahead of the election of a president, they stated.

Any agreement with Hezbollah will be presented to the Lebanese people and culminate in a national agreement at parliament, they continued.

“At any rate, Hezbollah agreed to dialogue and this is a good thing given that other parties have dismissed even discussing the possibility of holding talks,” they remarked.

Meanwhile, parliament Speaker Nabih Berri – a Hezbollah ally – is unlikely to go ahead with the possible agreement between the party and FPM given his opposition to some of its points, such as “decentralization of financial affairs”.

Political analyst Qassem Kassir said: “Bassil often kicks off dialogue with ambitious conditions, but Hezbollah is definitely holding dialogue while keeping its other partners in mind” - namely Berri.

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Lebanese Parties Warn Against Hezbollah Keeping Light Weapons

Lebanese Shiite mourners gathered on Monday in Beirut’s southern suburbs to mark Ashura in a ceremony organized by Hezbollah (AFP)
Lebanese Shiite mourners gathered on Monday in Beirut’s southern suburbs to mark Ashura in a ceremony organized by Hezbollah (AFP)
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Lebanese Parties Warn Against Hezbollah Keeping Light Weapons

Lebanese Shiite mourners gathered on Monday in Beirut’s southern suburbs to mark Ashura in a ceremony organized by Hezbollah (AFP)
Lebanese Shiite mourners gathered on Monday in Beirut’s southern suburbs to mark Ashura in a ceremony organized by Hezbollah (AFP)

A recent proposal circulating in Lebanon that would allow Hezbollah to retain its light weapons while surrendering heavy and medium arms has triggered widespread political backlash, with critics warning it poses a grave threat to state sovereignty and public safety.

The suggestion, floated amid long-running debate over the group’s arsenal, argues that other political parties and armed groups also possess light weapons for various reasons. But key political factions have rejected the idea outright, citing Lebanon’s bloody past and the potential for renewed violence.

Opponents of the proposal have pointed to the events of May 7, 2008, when Hezbollah fighters overran parts of Beirut and Mount Lebanon in a show of military force, underscoring the dangers of allowing any non-state group to keep arms.

“Classifying weapons as heavy, medium or light is useless,” said Kataeb Party leader Sami Gemayel in a post on X. “If heavy arms threaten Lebanon’s regional security, light weapons are even more dangerous to the foundations of the state.”

Gemayel reiterated that only the Lebanese army and legitimate security forces should bear arms, calling for the country to be entirely free of weapons held by non-state actors.

MP Ghada Ayoub, of the Lebanese Forces-led "Strong Republic" bloc, echoed that view, insisting the state must assert full sovereignty over all Lebanese territory and outlaw any form of armed presence outside the official security apparatus.

“There is only one armed group operating outside the state, and that is Hezbollah,” Ayoub told Asharq al-Awsat. “It must become a purely political party and clearly, unequivocally declare an end to its military activity.”

Ayoub also criticized recent remarks by Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem, who vowed the group’s “resistance” would continue “without asking anyone’s permission.”

“The Lebanese state is responsible for enforcing a monopoly on the use of arms,” she said. “It must stop playing the role of a mediator or hiding behind the fear of war and internal strife. Time is not on Lebanon’s side.”

Ahmad Al-Kheir, a lawmaker with the “National Moderation” bloc, dismissed the proposal as “stillborn,” warning that light weapons have already been used to intimidate citizens and skew political dynamics.

“We saw yesterday how light arms were paraded through Beirut’s streets in a blatant attempt at provocation and coercion,” he said. “This is the real danger - using these weapons as leverage in political life, as we saw in the May 7 events and the occupation of downtown Beirut.”

“No one in Lebanon will accept this,” Al-Kheir added.

Additionally, critics warn that allowing any non-state entity to retain weapons threatens state authority and risks further destabilizing the country.

Al-Kheir urged Hezbollah and any other party in possession of light weapons to hand them over to the state, citing the recent example set by former Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader Walid Jumblatt.

“Jumblatt announced that his party had surrendered its weapons weeks ago. This is the model to follow,” he told Asharq al-Awsat.

MP Waddah Al-Sadek, of the Change Coalition, said he had no objection to a phased disarmament process that begins with heavy and medium weapons, followed by light arms. He dismissed fears of civil war, saying only one side is armed.

“Armed conflict requires two sides. The army will not engage in internal fighting,” he said. “This talk of civil war is just fear-mongering unless Hezbollah resorts again to something like the May 7 scenario to avoid disarming.”

Al-Sadek stressed that Lebanon’s response to the US proposal - reportedly outlining phased disarmament - will be critical. “Does anyone really have an alternative to engaging with this proposal?” he asked.

Deputy head of the Free Patriotic Movement, Naji Hayek, said all weapons must be handed over, rejecting the idea that civilians or political groups should be allowed to keep light arms for self-defense.

“This theory no longer holds,” Hayek told Asharq al-Awsat, adding that training camps used to militarize society should be shut down. “Light and medium weapons are not only with Hezbollah - they exist with other parties that have military structures, and these too must be dismantled.”

Political analyst Qassem Qassir, who is close to Hezbollah’s thinking, said there is no internal consensus, nor any agreement with Hezbollah, to give up its heavy and medium arms while retaining light weapons.

“The party insists the issue is still the Israeli occupation and ongoing aggression,” he said. “For Hezbollah, no discussion on disarmament is possible until those threats end.”

Qassir warned that if a political solution to the weapons issue is not reached, “we will inevitably face military risks and internal conflict.”

Jumblatt announced in late June that his party had handed over its remaining weapons, including light and medium arms that were gradually accumulated after the May 7 clashes in 2008 during a period of heightened tension with Hezbollah.

He said the weapons had been centrally stored and fully turned over to the Lebanese state.