Lawmakers question whether US moving fast enough to capitalize on Hezbollah's weakened state

A House Foreign Affairs Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee hearing on Tuesday underscored what lawmakers and witnesses repeatedly described as a "historic" but "narrowing" opportunity to weaken Hezbollah and restore Lebanese state sovereignty , while exposing sharp disagreement over whether current U.S. policy is moving fast or forcefully enough. Opening the hearing, Chairman Mike Lawler, R-NY., said Lebanon is "at a crossroads" following the Nov. 2024 Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, arguing the moment offers "an unprecedented opportunity" to help Lebanon "break free of the shackles of Iran’s malign influence." He warned, however, that progress has been uneven, saying implementation of the Lebanese Armed Forces’ has been "haphazard at best." The ranking member, Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., struck a more confrontational tone toward the administration, warning that Hezbollah is already rebuilding and that U.S. policy risks squandering the moment. WALTZ HAILS ‘NIGHT-AND-DAY’ MIDDLE EAST SHIFT AS TRUMP’S GAZA PLAN RESHAPES REGION "There is a historic opportunity in Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah and remove its grip on the Lebanese state," he said. "That window of opportunity, however, is narrow. Hezbollah is working hard to rebuild, rearm and to reconstitute itself." He criticized cuts to non-security assistance and faulted comments by a Trump administration envoy who described Hezbollah as "a political party that also has a militant aspect to it," arguing such language "sent the wrong signals" at a critical moment. David Schenker, senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, testified that while Hezbollah has been weakened militarily, the pace of disarmament remains slow and obstructed. "The LAF has a presence in the south that it didn’t have prior to November 2024," Schenker said. "But they are not in control. Hezbollah still controls the region." Schenker said the obstacle is no longer capability but political will. "At this point, the question of disarmament is not a matter of capability but of will," he told lawmakers, warning that Hezbollah continues to thrive amid corruption and a cash-based economy. Israel-Hezbollah BORDER TENSIONS RISE AS TERROR GROUP REARMS, RESISTS US-BACKED CEASEFIRE Hanin Ghaddar, senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said that even full weapons surrender would not dismantle Hezbollah’s power. "Hezbollah is not sustained by weapons alone," Ghaddar said. "It survives through an economic and political ecosystem that protects cash flows, penetrates state institutions and enables military rebuilding." She warned that Lebanon’s unregulated cash economy has become Hezbollah’s most durable asset. "Weapons can be collected, but money keeps flowing," Ghaddar said. "Disarmament without dismantling the cash economy… will not be durable." TRUMP ADMIN PRESSURES Lebanon TO DISARM Hezbollah AS ENVOY CALLS NATION ‘FAILED STATE’ All three witnesses emphasized U.S. support should be tied to measurable performance such as progress on disarmament of Hezbollah and economic reform. Schenker called for renewed sanctions against corrupt Lebanese officials, saying, "We should be sanctioning leaders right now… who are obstructing reform." Dana Stroul, director of research and senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, warned that Washington’s approach remains incomplete. "For the past year, U.S. policy has focused on Hezbollah disarmament, which is critical, but on its own is only a partial strategy," Stroul said. She cautioned that upcoming parliamentary elections could either "strengthen or undermine the anti-Hezbollah government," calling it the "worst-case outcome" if Hezbollah-aligned politicians retain power. Ghaddar said Hezbollah’s weakening has shifted Lebanese public discourse. "The mythology of resistance has shattered," she said. "Peace is no longer taboo." She argued that normalization with Israel would raise the political cost of Hezbollah’s rearmament and help lock in reform. "Without a credible peace horizon, disarmament and economic reform will be temporary. With one, they become structural," Ghaddar said.