MTV reported this Wednesday evening that the Lebanese Forces Party stated in a statement that the decision taken by the Lebanese government regarding arms should have been made 35 years ago, were it not for the coup against the National Accord Document, which stipulated “the Lebanese state’s authority extending over the entire Lebanese territories through its own forces,” according to the channel.
The statement continued that “the historic decision taken by the government should have been effective 21 years ago, were it not for the coup against Resolution 1559, and it should have been effective 19 years ago, were it not for the coup against Resolution 1701.”
It added that “the government’s decision should have been effective eight months ago, were it not for the coup against the ceasefire agreement, which literally stipulated ‘the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon, so that the only forces allowed to bear arms in Lebanon are the Lebanese armed forces.'”
The Lebanese government, on Tuesday, mandated the country’s army by the end of the current year to be in the hands of legitimate forces.
The National News Agency reported that the Lebanese government held a ministerial session that lasted for 6 full hours, during which it decided to assign the army to draft a plan to restrict arms to legitimate forces by 2025, provided that the plan is presented to the Cabinet before the end of this month, as announced by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, after the conclusion of the Cabinet session, confirmed that “the government’s ministerial statement and what was stated in the President’s oath speech emphasized the state’s duty to monopolize bearing arms.”
Israel was supposed to complete its withdrawal from the areas it occupied in southern Lebanon by January 26, but it did not adhere to the deadline. Israel maintained its military presence in 5 strategic points in southern Lebanon, justifying this by “ensuring the protection of northern settlements, and continued to launch attacks on Lebanon from time to time.”
