The government announced its support for the proposed steps in the document, which include limiting weapons to the state and deploying the Lebanese army in the south, as stated in a declaration by Lebanese Information Minister Paul Marcos, today, Thursday.
Conversely, the position of the government was rejected, and its affiliated parliamentary bloc issued a strongly-worded statement today, Thursday, expressing its firm rejection of the government’s stance, describing it as a “dangerous coup.”
According to Lebanese Information Minister Paul Marcos, the implementation of all the items in this paper is contingent upon the agreement of each concerned country on the commitments related to it.
Salam pointed out that this announcement aims to “solidify and extend these arrangements, and review them after the amendments introduced by Lebanese officials, confining the discussion to the objectives mentioned at the beginning of this paper.”
The Hezbollah parliamentary bloc’s statement indicated that some of those it described as “people in power in Lebanon” are following external dictates and American pressures, ignoring the calculations of supreme national interest and the requirements of internal unity, which are the most important guarantee for Lebanon.
The statement considered the adoption of the American paper as clear evidence of this political coup, as described.
The ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel came into effect on November 27, 2024, more than a year after Hezbollah opened what it called a “support front for the Gaza Strip.”
The Israeli army was supposed to complete its withdrawal from the areas it occupied in the south by January 26, but Israel did not adhere to the deadline and maintained its military presence in five strategic points in southern Lebanon, citing “ensuring the protection of northern settlements,” while continuing to launch attacks on Lebanon from time to time.
