BEIRUT: “Resorting to force to implement the Lebanese government’s decision to limit arms to the state is out of the question under any circumstances, and cannot take place at present,” Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said during political meetings on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly in New York.
“The decision to limit arms to the state is in the process of being implemented after overcoming the main obstacle facing it, which is the continued Israeli occupation of the eight hills it has seized, as well as other Lebanese territories,” he said.
Aoun stressed that he “is keen on preserving the unity of the Lebanese people and on preventing anything that could harm this unity,” his media office said on Wednesday.
The president held talks on Tuesday with several Arab and other foreign officials about the security of Lebanon and the situation in the wider region. He called on US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to put pressure on Israel to honor its ceasefire deal with Lebanese authorities and halt its attacks.
In particular, he asked Rubio for US assistance in confirming Israel’s commitment to the Nov. 27, 2024, agreement to end hostilities in southern Lebanon and withdraw from areas it occupies there.
