Lebanon's directive to implement Hezbollah's disarmament will face an uphill battle as mounting Israeli military assertiveness, U.S. economic and diplomatic pressure, and Hezbollah's hardening stance will risk destabilizing the government and igniting more violence in the coming months. On Aug. 5, the Lebanese government directed the national army to formulate a plan by year-end to ensure that only state institutions possess weapons in the country, including by disarming militias like Hezbollah. The following day, Hezbollah issued a statement strongly criticizing the move, saying it would deal with the directive ''as if it does not exist'' but would still remain open to dialogue. Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem has also announced that the group will not abide by a timeline for disarmament and rejects disarmament without a national security strategy, noting that talks on disarmament only serve U.S. and Israeli interests. On Aug. 5, Lebanon's information minister said that the Lebanese Armed...
