Lebanon’s premier says no retreat from plan to place all weapons under state control

ISTANBUL

The Lebanese government will not back down from a decision to enforce exclusive state control over weapons, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Tuesday.

“The government can't retract the decision that weapons must be held only by legitimate state forces,” Salam said in an interview with Jordan’s Al-Mamlaka TV.

He said the issue is not new and falls under the 1989 Taif Agreement, which ended Lebanon’s civil war and called for the state to extend its authority across the country.

Salam also revealed that he had asked Jordan’s King Abdullah II to continue supporting the Lebanese army as it faces growing challenges, particularly along the southern border.

“Jordan has never failed to support us in the past, and will not fail us today,” he said.

His comments come as Lebanon moves forward with a plan to limit all arms possession to the national army by the end of the year, a move Hezbollah has strongly rejected as politically motivated and aligned with Israeli and US pressure.

The group termed the government decision a “grave sin,” dismissing it “as if it didn’t exist.”

The plan revolves around a US proposal delivered by envoy Tom Barrack, which outlines a timeline for disarming Hezbollah as part of a broader strategy to consolidate state authority and avoid further Israeli escalation.

The plan mandates the Lebanese army to develop a concrete mechanism for implementing the disarmament before Dec. 31, with a final decision expected afterward.

The controversy marks a significant political standoff within Lebanon, as US officials reportedly press Beirut to demonstrate a serious commitment to the ceasefire terms agreed in November, which call for limiting weapons to official security agencies.

Israel launched a military offensive in Lebanon on Oct. 8, 2023, which escalated into a full-scale war by September 2024, killing more than 4,000 people and injuring around 17,000.

A ceasefire was reached in November, but Israeli forces have conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah activities.

Under the truce, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Tel Aviv refused to comply. Israel still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.