Ceasefire in Lebanon will be temporary, it does not imply disarmament of Hezbollah – Sergei Melkonian

A ceasefire was established between Lebanon and Israel the other day. Alpha News spoke about this with orientalist and research fellow at APRI Armenia Sergei Melkonian.

“Israel started a war against Lebanon to create conditions under which citizens who previously lived in northern Israel could return to their homes. There are almost no residents in northern Israel now. Speaking of the ceasefire, Israel took a step forward, and the residents will be returned to their settlements. Secondly, when it comes to Lebanon, all this was a very big challenge for it as a state, because the problem is this: is the Lebanese army capable of ensuring security in this region, and will it be able to take on such responsibility to prevent Hezbollah from strengthening its position?” he said.

According to Melkonian, the ceasefire can be considered a weakening of Hezbollah.

“Hezbollah will partially weaken, because for many years they have been working to create infrastructure in southern Lebanon, and in fact, all of this infrastructure will be dismantled. The Lebanese Armed Forces will be responsible. If Hezbollah creates new positions in southern Lebanon or receives new weapons and ammunition, Lebanon will have to stop it. To what extent the Lebanese army and state bodies will be able to do this will become clear in the short term,” Sergei Melkonian noted.

He stressed the ceasefire had benefited Lebanon as peace had been established.

“Lebanon will benefit from the ceasefire in the sense that a temporary peace will be established; that is, according to this agreement, there will be no active military actions. Therefore, it can be said that according to this agreement, Israel has no right to take any actions in the depths of Lebanon.

If Israel sees problems related to Hezbollah, then it must first inform the governments of Lebanon and the United States about this without taking any unilateral actions. However, if Israel sees threats and problems in southern Lebanon, then this gives Israel the right to take active steps,” Sergei Melkonian concluded.