Approximately 400 Hezbollah field commanders are slated to leave Lebanon for various South American countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador, according to a report on Wednesday by a Latin American diplomatic source to the Saudi news outlet Al Hadath.
The report comes amid growing discourse in Lebanon surrounding the possible disarmament of the Shiite terrorist organization, following its defeat in the war with Israel. According to the source, 200 commanders have already reached South America, with the rest expected to depart Lebanon in due course.
The diplomatic source said Hezbollah ordered its commanders to leave Lebanon fearing that they could be targeted if and when the organization's military infrastructure is dismantled. It is worth noting that Hezbollah already has an established terrorist network in South America, and in Lebanon, it maintains a force of several tens of thousands of terrorists.
On Tuesday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stated that 2025 would mark the exclusive centralization of weapons in state hands. He asserted that Hezbollah's disarmament would be achieved "through dialogue" and emphasized his efforts to prevent a civil war. According to Aoun, communication with the organization is "good and direct," and "the results are evident on the ground."
He also noted that the Lebanese army is sealing tunnels, confiscating, and destroying Hezbollah weapons depots. Aoun further stated that in his view, integrating Hezbollah into the Lebanese army should follow the model used with militias in the 1990s, whereby individuals were absorbed separately.
Senior Hezbollah figure Mahmoud Qamati responded in a speech to the government's call to disarm the terrorist organization. "We are committed to our weapons, we are committed to our resistance," Qamati said. He also referenced a statement by slain Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah: "Whoever reaches out to touch our weapons – their hand will be cut off."
