BEIRUT: Speaking from the Bulgarian capital on Monday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun described the Lebanese army’s disarmament mission as “decisive” given the current circumstances.
“The Lebanese army’s mission to restrict the possession of weapons is decisive under the current circumstances, as it alone — without any external partners or forces outside the state — must extend state authority across its territory and borders, and assert full sovereignty, so that Israeli attacks on our land cease and Israel withdraws from the sites it occupies inside Lebanon,” Aoun said.
He emphasized that this mission should proceed alongside a negotiation process, which he considers “the only path to achieving our national objectives and Lebanon’s higher interests.”
He recalled that Lebanon previously engaged in over 10 negotiation rounds on such issues, with unanimous political support across factions.
The most recent of these negotiations occurred between 2020 and 2022, focusing on maritime border demarcation with Tel Aviv and, more recently, in November, efforts have aimed at halting attacks and consolidating arms under Lebanese state control.
