Omar Banna
(RIEAS Research Associate)
Copyright: @ 2025 Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 23 November 2025
Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies
Since middle 2025, Lebanon has seen a significant shift in its approach to non-state armed groups, particularly Hezbollah. The government, under Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, has tasked the Lebanese Army with a plan titled “Homeland Shield” to centralize all weapons under state control. This initiative marks one of the most substantial challenges to Hezbollah’s military autonomy in decades (Al Jazeera, 2025).
The Government’s “Homeland Shield” Plan
In August 2025, the Lebanese cabinet empowered the Army to develop a strategy to monopolize all arms under state institutions by the end of the year (Al Jazeera, 2025). This decision responds to domestic and international pressures to disarm militias, chiefly Hezbollah, and restore the Lebanese state’s sovereignty (Ministry of Information, Lebanon, 2025). .. Read more