UPDATE - Lebanon’s army to prepare plan for state arms monopoly by year-end, premier says

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Wassim Seifeddine and Mohammad Sio

BEIRUT / ISTANBUL (AA) – The Lebanese Cabinet has authorized the army to prepare a plan to consolidate weapons under state control by the end of this year, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Tuesday evening.

The decision was taken during a Cabinet session chaired by President Joseph Aoun to discuss the disarmament of non-state groups, primarily Hezbollah.

Speaking at a press conference following the session, Salam said the army plan will be presented to the Cabinet by the end of this month.

The premier said that the Cabinet also agreed to continue discussions on a US proposal for arms control during a government meeting scheduled for Aug. 7.

He emphasized that both the government's ministerial statement and President Aoun’s inaugural address affirm the state’s exclusive right to control arms.

“Based on the ministerial statement, the Lebanese state is committed to implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701,” Salam said, referring to the 2006 resolution that ended hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, while stressing Lebanon's right to self-defense in the face of aggression.

Information Minister Paul Morcos said two ministers - Tamara al-Zein of the Amal Movement and Rakan Nasreddine of Hezbollah - walked out of the Cabinet session in protest over the decision. However, he confirmed they plan to attend Thursday’s meeting.

There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah or the Amal Movement on the Cabinet decision.

Early Tuesday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem warned against addressing the party’s arms issue without national consensus.

“We will not accept the gradual surrender of our strength while Israeli aggression continues, nor will we accept pressure against us,” Qassem said in a televised speech.

Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected any discussion of its disarmament before Israel halts its attacks and reconstruction of war-damaged areas.

Last week, Aoun called for all armed groups, including Hezbollah, to hand over their weapons to the Lebanese army, signaling a shift in official rhetoric amid mounting regional and international pressure to resolve the issue.

Israel launched a military offensive in Lebanon on Oct. 8, 2023, which escalated into a full-scale war by September 2024, killing more than 4,000 people and injuring around 17,000.

A ceasefire was reached in November, but Israeli forces have conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, claiming to target activities of the Lebanese Hezbollah group.

Under the truce, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Tel Aviv refused to comply. Israel still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.