Dr. Martin Sherman rejected the belief that the Lebanese government can peacefully disarm Hezbollah or permanently bring the Iranian-backed terrorist organization under state control.
Hezbollah’s weapons are not merely a military tool, Sherman argued, but the foundation of the organization’s identity, power and purpose. Expecting it to surrender those weapons voluntarily is therefore unrealistic. The same principle applies to Hamas, whose existence is built around armed conflict against Israel.
Lebanon’s government and army do not possess the strength or political determination required to eliminate Hezbollah. Even if the organization temporarily withdraws from certain areas, it will use any surviving territorial foothold to reorganize, recruit and expand again.
Sherman said Hezbollah must therefore be removed through coercive action. Israel could be granted broad freedom to operate throughout Lebanon, or an outside Western coalition could assume the task. What cannot be expected, he said, is a consensual settlement negotiated between Hezbollah and the Lebanese state.