Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee Chairman Mike Lawler Delivers Opening Remarks at Hearing on U.S. Policy Towards Lebanon
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee Chairman Mike Lawler delivered opening remarks at a subcommittee hearing titled "U.S. Policy Toward Lebanon: Obstacles to Dismantling Hezbollah’s Grip on Power".
-Remarks-
I want to begin by thanking my colleagues for being here today, and our witnesses for taking the time to share their insights on this critically important issue, which, frankly, hasn't received sufficient scrutiny. Lebanon is at a crossroads. The November 2024 cease fire agreement that brought conflict between Israel and Hezbollah to an end has provided the international community with an unprecedented opportunity for Lebanon. Right now, we have the chance to help this government break free of the shackles of Iran's malign influence.
Hezbollah's influence is vastly diminished, thanks in large part to decisive Israeli action. But difficult choices now need to be made to permanently block Hezbollah's path to power. The stability, sovereignty and long term security of Lebanon depend on the Lebanese armed forces ability to act as the sole legitimate military authority within the country. While the LAF has made initial progress towards ensuring Hezbollah's disarmament, implementation of the LAF’s five phase disarmament plan has been haphazard at best.
Moreover, now more than ever, it is absolutely vital that Lebanon delivers on long promised economic and structural reforms, including those stipulated by the IMF in a real and meaningful way. Since 2019, Lebanon's banking sector has all but collapsed, thanks in no small part due to prolific corruption. In that same period, the country's currency, the Lebanese pound, has lost over 97% of its value relative to the dollar, leading to unprecedented hyperinflation. This has given rise to a dollarized cash economy, one in which corruption thrives and Hezbollah's malign influence persists so long as Lebanon's economy remains weak and unregulated, Hezbollah and their Iranian backers will retain access to cash flows. This will allow them to quietly rebuild their power base, as well as their military arsenal that threatens the stability of the entire region. Delivering on economic and structural reforms cannot just be an option or a second thought.
These are vital, necessary conditions to set Lebanon on the right path, free from Hezbollah's malign influence, not least because successfully implementing these reforms will open up Lebanon's ability to access much needed financial support from the international community, including in areas formerly under Hezbollah's control. To be clear, no one wants to see a power vacuum emerge along Lebanon's border with Israel. I think we can all recognize how important it is for the Lebanese state to step up and start to deliver basic services there. But reinvesting in the same failed system that enabled Hezbollah's rise would be pure insanity. We'd merely be providing Hezbollah with an open door to undermine stability across the region at the expense of Lebanon's future.
The international community needs to meet the moment. We cannot lose sight of the need to ensure the government fully delivers on long pledged reforms. The stakes are too high. Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that American policy supports long term stability and security across the Middle East. And that can only be achieved by closing the financial and regulatory loopholes that have allowed Hezbollah and its Iranian backers to thrive for far too long. I look forward to the day when these goals come to fruition, where Lebanon is a true partner in the Middle East, where they can join the Abraham accords and seek normalization.