US arranging ‘jobs program’ for 40,000 Hezbollah terrorists

“We have 40,000 people being paid by Iran to fight. What are you gonna do with them? Take their weapon and say ‘by the way, good luck planting olive trees’? It can’t happen. We have to help them,” said Trump envoy Tom Barrack.

By Aaron Sull, Jewish Breaking News

With less than a week until Lebanon’s cabinet meets to approve the army’s Hezbollah disarmament plan, U.S. officials are finalizing Gulf state funding commitments for a massive jobs program designed to give the terror group’s 40,000 fighters an economic alternative to Iranian payrolls.

Trump envoy Tom Barrack announced Tuesday that Saudi Arabia and Qatar are ready to invest in an economic zone along Lebanon’s southern border with Israel, creating employment opportunities for Hezbollah members and supporters once they surrender their weapons.

“We have to have money coming into the system. The money will come from the Gulf,” Barrack told reporters after meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

“Qatar and Saudi Arabia are partners and are willing to do that for the south (of Lebanon) if we’re asking a portion of the Lebanese community to give up their livelihood.”

Barrack’s announcement comes as Lebanon’s cabinet prepares to meet September 2 to discuss the Lebanese army’s disarmament plan, which military officials are expected to finalize by month’s end.

Speaking bluntly about the challenge ahead, Barrack explained the economic reality driving the Gulf investment proposal.

“We have 40,000 people that are being paid by Iran to fight. What are you gonna do with them? Take their weapon and say ‘by the way, good luck planting olive trees’? It can’t happen. We have to help them.”

Lebanon submitted a detailed response to earlier U.S. disarmament proposals in July, delivering what Barrack called a “spectacular” seven-page document.

Lebanon’s response demands full Israeli withdrawal from all Lebanese territory, including the disputed Shebaa Farms, while committing to dismantle Hezbollah weapons south of the Litani River.

Crucially though, Lebanon stopped short of agreeing to nationwide Hezbollah disarmament.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Lebanon’s disarmament decision Monday, saying Israeli forces could begin withdrawing from territory they hold in southern Lebanon if Hezbollah lays down its arms.

However, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has repeatedly rejected disarmament demands.

“We cannot be asked to soften our stance or lay down arms while [Israeli] aggression continues,” Qassem told supporters during recent Ashura commemorations in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Despite the diplomatic momentum, Lebanon’s army operates on a shoestring budget and lacks resources to effectively disarm Hezbollah without significant international support, Barrack acknowledged.

U.S. officials have approached Gulf partners for Lebanese military funding in the past but faced resistance due to concerns about past corruption in Lebanese institutions.

Notably, earlier in the news conference, Barrack had criticized Lebanese journalists, warning them to “act civilized, act kind, act tolerant” and threatening to leave if the session became “chaotic, like animalistic.”

His comments prompted sharp criticism from Lebanon’s press syndicate, which demanded an apology from Barrack and the State Department.