U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President Donald Trump and a long-standing critic of Hezbollah, said the Middle East cannot achieve “normalization” while the Iran-backed group continues to operate.
Lindsey Graham © Mena Today
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President Donald Trump and a long-standing critic of Hezbollah, said the Middle East cannot achieve “normalization” while the Iran-backed group continues to operate.
In a post on X, Graham voiced hope that Hamas would respond positively to Trump’s peace proposal for Gaza, but stressed: “The Middle East cannot be normalized until Hezbollah is out of the equation. Hezbollah is not normal — it is a fanatical terrorist group with American blood on its hands, dedicated to Israel’s destruction.”
He urged: “If you want normalization, disarm Hezbollah, one way or another.”
During a recent trip to Jerusalem, Graham said Hezbollah’s disarmament was non-negotiable and suggested Washington would give Israel a “green light” to act if the group refused to hand over its heavy weapons to the Lebanese army. His comments came a day after visiting Beirut with fellow lawmakers and U.S. envoys Tom Barrack and Morgan Ortagus.
Lebanon’s government approved the principle of restoring the state’s monopoly on weapons in August, and the army presented a disarmament plan in September, which includes Hezbollah.
In response, Hezbollah MP Ibrahim Moussaoui condemned what he called an “intense campaign” to force the group’s surrender under the slogan of disarmament. Moussaoui, recently appointed head of Hezbollah’s media body, framed the push as part of a wider effort targeting Lebanon and Iran.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the first direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in decades on Tuesday and both sides said they held positive discussions although it was not immediately clear if they agreed to a framework for peace.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has signaled his country's desire for full normalization with Lebanon, just ahead of a key round of peace talks scheduled in Washington.
Israeli and Lebanese envoys will meet for U.S.-mediated talks in Washington on Tuesday as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to calm weeks of Israeli fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah that has threatened to derail a fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire.
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