Qatar’s Lebanon Assistance Cannot Excuse Beirut From Disarming Hezbollah

Qatar is preparing — for the second time this year — to help Lebanon turn the lights back on. On October 16, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani announced plans to modernize Lebanon’s power infrastructure and continue supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). The challenge is that unconditional Qatari assistance could allow Beirut to reap the benefits of reconstruction while postponing Hezbollah’s disarmament.

On October 19, Reuters reported that the proposed build-operate-transfer (BOT) project, whereby Qatar will finance, build, and operate new facilities before transferring ownership to Lebanon, includes two 825-megawatt gas-fired plants at Deir Ammar in northern Lebanon and Zahrani in the south, and a 20-year liquefied natural gas supply agreement. Both governments must still approve the plan. Al Thani also said Doha was coordinating with Washington on plans to rebuild southern Lebanon and allow displaced residents to return.

On paper, Qatar’s efforts align with the U.S.-sponsored June 26 Trilateral Framework Agreement between Lebanon, Israel, and the United States, which ties reconstruction assistance to Hezbollah’s disarmament. But Beirut has since sought to downplay its commitments, with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam telling parliament in September that the Framework was a basis for negotiations, not an agreement or treaty in the legal sense.

Disarmament Before Aid

The June 26 Framework commits Lebanon to disarming Hezbollah and other armed groups nationwide and placing security exclusively under state control. Washington, in turn, pledged to mobilize international assistance to help rebuild Lebanon and revive its economy alongside the disarmament process.

The Framework establishes specific conditions for reconstruction. In designated pilot zones, internationally supported rebuilding can begin only after authorities verify that armed groups have disarmed and dismantled their military infrastructure and the LAF has assumed full security control. The Framework also conditions new U.S. assistance on measurable progress, transparency, and oversight. It further requires Beirut to prevent reconstruction funds from reaching Hezbollah or its affiliates.

Qatar’s Aid Has Not Required Hezbollah’s Disarmament

Following the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, Doha pledged approximately $300 million to rebuild four largely Hezbollah-supporting towns in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah’s then-secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, had promised to rebuild damaged homes, but an adviser to Lebanese lawmaker Saad Hariri said the group could not afford comprehensive reconstruction. Qatari funding helped cover costs Hezbollah had promised to shoulder. In 2008, following Hezbollah’s armed clashes with government supporters, Qatar brokered an agreement between Lebanon’s government and the Hezbollah-led opposition that gave the latter veto power in the cabinet without requiring disarmament.

Qatar has continued assisting Lebanon without imposing disarmament conditions. In January 2026, Doha announced $434.2 million in assistance, including up to $400 million for Lebanon’s electricity sector. The Lebanese daily An-Nahar also reported Qatari plans to rebuild three southern villages devastated by the latest Israel-Hezbollah war.

Qatari Aid Should Advance Disarmament

Washington should press Qatar, a close U.S. partner, to condition reconstruction assistance on verified Lebanese progress toward Hezbollah’s disarmament. In the Framework’s designated pilot zones, Doha should withhold reconstruction funding until Lebanon verifiably disarms Hezbollah and the LAF assumes exclusive security control. Elsewhere, Washington should seek Qatari commitments to link assistance to measurable progress toward nationwide disarmament, while preserving support for the LAF.

Washington should also coordinate with Doha to ensure Qatari assistance, particularly reconstruction projects in southern Lebanon, does not directly or indirectly benefit Hezbollah. This requires screening contractors and recipients, monitoring disbursements, and independently auditing projects. The proposed electricity investments should face similar scrutiny to prevent Hezbollah-linked entities and politically connected intermediaries from profiting.

David Daoud is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where Natalie Ecanow is a senior research analyst. For more analysis from the authors, please subscribe HERE. Follow David on X @DavidADaoud. Follow Natalie on X @NatalieEcanow. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.