The sources clarified that the U.S. initiative aimed to create a stimulating economic and political climate that would push Hezbollah towards a voluntary and radical resolution of the issue of weapons, pointing out that the plan included financial pledges of billions of dollars from Gulf countries allocated to support development projects in southern Lebanon.
According to the same sources, the initiative also included launching direct talks with Israel, inspired by the spirit of the “Abraham Accords” in their economic, cooperative, and security dimensions, allowing for mutual gains for all parties.
The sources described the proposal as a “bold push” aimed at addressing the structural crisis in Lebanon and returning it to the path of stability and prosperity, but that actors in Beirut rejected this proposal, preferring to maintain the current political and military situation.
A senior U.S. official said: “Unfortunately, they prefer the status quo… which means that Lebanon will remain a failed state.”
He added that “the fleeting moment of change created by President Trump with his vitality and vision is now gone,” noting that international relations with Lebanon will return to the traditional diplomatic track, so that dealing with it will be limited to the procedural rather than the transformative level.
The sources warned that Lebanon has become the only country that sponsors a foreign armed organization as part of its official political system, stressing that ignoring the Hezbollah weapons file will lead to further deterioration in state institutions.
One of the American diplomats concluded: “Our hearts in Washington hope for the best… but our minds are preparing for the worst.”
