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Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged Hezbollah to “act with reason” and back state authority over weapons, saying the circumstances that once justified arms outside the state no longer exist, in remarks to Tele Liban.
In an interview with Tele Liban Sunday, Aoun said it was time for “the other side,” a reference to Hezbollah, to “act with reason” and join forces with the state.
He stressed that protecting the people and the land is the responsibility of the state, adding that “one segment of society is no longer forced to carry this burden.”
Aoun said that “Israeli attacks are continuing,” but that the specter of a major war and a ground invasion is now much more remote.
On the issue of restricting weapons to the Lebanese state, President Aoun said the arms emerged at a time when the army was not present, but that the circumstances that necessitated them no longer exist.
He added that the Lebanese army and the state are responsible for protecting citizens across all Lebanese territory.
He added that, in the view of some, the weapons were once seen as capable of deterring Israel and securing a withdrawal, “but today they have become a burden on their own constituency and on Lebanon as a whole.”
He called for a realistic reading of regional and international circumstances.
Aoun said an end to the attacks and Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon would help speed up efforts to place all weapons under state control.
He noted that the army is in control of areas south of the Litani River, stressing that the most important priority is preventing the area from becoming “a launchpad for military operations.”
Since a ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel took effect on Nov. 27, 2024, Israel and its ally, the United States, have been pressuring Beirut to dismantle the group’s weapons, a demand Hezbollah has rejected.
Israel has been violating the ceasefire on a near-daily basis, carrying out airstrikes on Lebanese areas, particularly in the south, leaving hundreds dead and causing widespread destruction.
In defiance of the agreement, Israel continues to occupy five hilltops in southern Lebanon seized during the latest war, in addition to other Lebanese territories it has held for decades.
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