A new bill presented to Congress is seeking to end funding for the Lebanese army if it fails to fully disarm Hezbollah and completely ban the group as well as its Shia ally, the Amal Movement.
The bill has been presented by Republican Congressman Greg Steube who represents Florida.
It aims to exert more pressure on Beirut to further weaken Hezbollah and its ally’s influence in Lebanon.
Steube has dubbed the bill 'Preventing Armed Groups from Engaging in Radicalism Act' - shortened to the Pager Act, in a clear reference to the Mossad operation which saw thousands of pager devices detonated in September last year.
The unprecedented attack which Israel has celebrated as one of its biggest-ever war achievements left thousands injured and dozens killed, including two children.
Independent Arabia has published the draft bill, which aims "to prohibit the availability of federal funds to support the armed forces in Lebanon, and for other purposes".
Funding for the Lebanese army would stop until the US Secretary of State assures Congress that Lebanon has met several conditions, including ending any formal recognition of and delegitimising Hezbollah, Hezbollah’s 'Loyalty to the Resistance' parliamentary bloc, and the Amal Movement led by parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
Berri has long been seen as a middleman figure in Lebanese politics between the US and Hezbollah. In 2020, Berri’s close aide and politician Ali Hassan Khalil for "providing material support for Hezbollah and engaging in corruption".
The Pager Act bill calls on the Lebanese army and internal security forces to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1559 (adopted in 2004) which provides for the "disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias and the expulsion of Hezbollah forces from known strongholds".
The Pager Act bill also calls on the Lebanese Armed Forces and internal security forces – the police – to establish "an increased presence in areas known to be Hezbollah strongholds in order to prevent a resurgence of Hezbollah," in an apparent reference to south Lebanon, Beirut’s southern suburbs, and parts of Beqaa in the east where Hezbollah has long held sway. Large swathes of those regions were devastated by the war last year.
Hezbollah’s opponents have long called for the implementation of UNSCR 1559, as well as UNSCR 1701 adopted in 2006, and which forms the basis of the current ceasefire deal.
The bill seeks to ban any coordination between the Lebanese army and Hezbollah or Iran, either directly or indirectly.
It also wants Lebanese courts to drop any charges and arrest warrants against American citizens who have "advocated against Hezbollah’s influence over the government of Lebanon". They include American journalists who have appeared on Israeli media or invited Israeli guests to their platforms.
This is most likely in reference to dual US-Lebanese citizens.
Lebanon criminalises communication and dealings between its citizens and Israelis or entities based in Israel. There have been lawsuits in recent years against Lebanese media personalities for hosting Israeli officials.
If passed into law, a report will be submitted to Congress every 180 days on "the influences of Hezbollah and Iran" in the Lebanese government, including its Ministry of Defence.
If Lebanon fails to implement the piece of legislation 60 days after the Pager Act becomes law, all US funding through the UN Development Programme will no longer be authorised. The bill even calls for designating the army’s south Lebanon commander as a "terrorist".
The Lebanese army has received around $3 billion in aid from the US since 2006. Earlier this week, the US approved the transfer of $95 million in aid for the Lebanese army in an exceptional move, amid President Donald Trump’s foreign aid freeze.
An end to funding for the underequipped Lebanese army would hamper its efforts to implement the ceasefire agreement.
Steube’s Pager Act bill could be hugely problematic for Lebanon, a nation governed by a complex and delicate power-sharing system among its various religious sects.
Despite their bloody past, Hezbollah and Amal have forged an alliance since the end of Lebanon's civil war and are often called "the Shia duo," usually running in elections together and sharing Shia quotas in government. They occupy the 27 seats reserved for Shias in parliament.
It is widely believed that differences between the two groups are kept under wraps to prevent division and possible bloodshed in the community. It is also believed that this has helped them monopolise the Shia quota under Lebanon's political structure.
Hezbollah has come out of the war with Israel last year battered, having lost most of its senior command structure and thousands of its fighters.
Its main weapons supply route from Iran via Syria was cut off after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, and the group remains under heavy financial scrutiny, with its money sources drying up.
But the militant group is believed to still be in possession of some of its arsenal. Under the US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel, the Lebanese state is obliged to disarm all militant groups, namely Hezbollah, and take complete control of all Lebanese territories, deploying thousands of troops in the south.
Hezbollah argues that its arms are needed to ward off Israeli threats despite receiving heavy blows in the war. It has called on the Lebanese government to act to end Israel’s occupation of some areas in south Lebanon.
Israel was obliged to pull out all its forces under the ceasefire deal but has maintained some troops in five strategic border positions, claiming it is necessary for its security.
Lebanon’s newly elected President Joseph Aoun and the newly formed government have vowed to solve the issue through diplomacy, calling on mediators US and France to pressure Israel in ending its occupation.
Lebanese officials rejected claims by the US news site Axios earlier this week that Tel Aviv, Washington, and Beirut have reached an agreement allowing Israeli forces to remain in southern Lebanon for an extended period.