Salam emphasized in his statements the necessity for “Hezbollah” to abandon its military wing, affirming that “there is no retreat from the state’s monopoly on military power.” The Prime Minister of Lebanon added that “Lebanon can only rise by restoring its state,” stressing that no one should remain above the law.
On August 7, the Lebanese government announced its support for the proposed steps known as the “American paper,” which includes disarming “Hezbollah” and deploying the Lebanese army in the south of the country.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stated that “matters in the hands of the state are an internal Lebanese affair,” noting that his country faced two options: either to agree to the American paper or face isolation.
In May, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, Naeem Qassem, said that “the party will overcome challenges thanks to the resistance project,” asserting that “the weapons are for resisting the usurping Israeli entity and have nothing to do with the internal Lebanese situation.”
