Beirut (EFE).- Ministers from Hezbollah and its ally Amal walked out of Friday’s cabinet session in protest against a Lebanese Army plan to disarm the Shiite movement, a move the group has long rejected.
According to Hezbollah-affiliated Al Manar TV, the five ministers of the so-called “Shiite duo” walked out as Army Chief Rodolphe Haykal arrived to present the plan before the Council of Ministers.
Among them was Fadi Makki, minister of Administrative Reforms, who confirmed his departure on X and said he had also offered to step down from the government “ifmy resignation from the government would serve the national interest.”
“I once again call upon my fellow ministers and political authorities to discuss the plan under the framework of the ministerial statement that we all agreed upon, with regard to confining weapons to the state and its institutions, with deliberation and care, and prioritizing the interest of the nation, the south, and civil peace above all other considerations.”
Several Shiite ministers had signaled beforehand that they would walk out once the disarmament plan was raised, as they had in previous sessions, while still participating in the rest of the agenda.
Hezbollah has rejected both a US proposal and the Lebanese initiative advanced under Washington’s pressure, arguing that disarmament would serve Israel’s interests and weaken Lebanon’s defenses.
Although Lebanon and Israel reached a ceasefire last November, Israel continues to bomb southern Lebanon almost daily and maintains troops on five contested hills. Hezbollah has insisted that such violations must stop before any disarmament dialogue can take place. EFE
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