‘Lebanese state cannot realistically disarm Hezbollah’

In his first speech after being sworn in as Lebanon’s president, Joseph Aoun vowed that the state will have a monopoly over weapons in the country.

But David Wood, International Crisis Group senior analyst for Lebanon, says the Lebanese government will not be able to remove Hezbollah’s weapons against the group’s will.

“The Lebanese state cannot realistically disarm Hezbollah without Hezbollah’s cooperation,” Wood told Al Jazeera.

While Hezbollah has agreed to end its military presence south of the Litani River near the Israeli border as part of the ceasefire agreement brokered in November, the group has insisted that it will not give up its weapons completely.

“As time goes by, Hezbollah might see an interest in cooperating closely with the army in terms of either dismantling its infrastructure or revisiting proposals from decades ago to actually integrate Hezbollah and its fighters and its weapons into the army,” Wood said.

But he added that such a move cannot be forced on the group by the Lebanese government because Hezbollah has representation in the parliament and Lebanon’s state institutions, and it still has some military power.

“Despite the massive blows Hezbollah suffered during its recent war with Israel, it retained residual military strength, which would make – for example – deploying the Lebanese army to disarm Hezbollah an incredibly risky move that the Lebanese state would not seriously entertain,” Wood said.

Hamas says open to forming committee of ‘technocrats’ to rule Gaza: Report

Senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk says the group is open to the idea of forming a committee to govern Gaza post-war that includes technocrats agreed upon by Palestinian factions.

In remarks made to local media, Abu Marzouk said the idea was proposed by Egypt, a key mediator in indirect ceasefire talks currently taking place between Hamas and Israel.

According to Abu Marzouk, the idea was blocked by the Fatah movement.

“We support this committee on the condition that it be formed from national and honest figures who are not corrupt,” Abu Marzouk was quoted as saying by the Palestinian Quds News Network.

The issue of who will administer the Gaza Strip following Israel’s bloody assault on the enclave has been a key sticking point in negotiations.

Last year, Palestinian factions signed a “national unity” agreement aimed at maintaining Palestinian control over Gaza once the war comes to an end. The deal, signed by long-term rivals Hamas and Fatah, as well as 12 other Palestinian groups, lays the groundwork for an “interim national reconciliation government” to rule post-war Gaza.

James Woods, who celebrated Gaza genocide, cries on TV for losing house in fire

Social media users are unwilling to sympathise with Holltwood actor James Woods after he broke down on CNN in the wake of the devastation caused by wildfires. Woods, who celebrated the suffering of Palestinians, said that his entire house had been destroyed.

Social media users are also highlighting the irony attached to this tragedy as reports emerge that Canada had sent its firefighters to douse the flames. This was just days after Donald Trump threatened to illegally annex Canada.

David Lammy vows to defend Israel, endorses Donald Trump on Europe’s own defence

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Thursday vowed to defend Israel with the help of the US as he announced a reset in his country's foreign policy. Lammy, who slammed Donald Trump in the past by calling him a Nazi sympathiser, said the incoming US President was right to tell Europe to do more for its own security. He also said that countries such as India will be treated with respect and as equals in the future.