Lebanese President Aoun rejects divided state sovereignty — Asharq Al-Awsat
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said that the state will not allow anyone to share its sovereign authority. He stressed that Lebanon must not pay again for the mistakes of the past, Asharq Al-Awsat reports.
Aoun called on those seeking external support in confrontation with their fellow citizens to stand with their people against external forces. According to him, “positive neutrality” is needed by Lebanon to protect itself from regional conflicts, bloc rivalries, foreign ambitions, and attempts at domination.
The president also said that protecting the country from external ambitions and strengthening national unity are important amid rapid military and political changes in the region.
Support from five countries
The embassies of the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada, and Japan confirmed their support for the Lebanese government's efforts to ensure that weapons are exclusively under state control and that only the state makes decisions on war and peace. Their statement was distributed by the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.
Representatives of the five countries called on members of parliament and political parties to publicly support the president's and prime minister's position on the state's exclusive right to make decisions on war and peace. They also stated their desire to achieve the full restoration of Lebanon's effective sovereign authority throughout its territory.
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The embassy statement mentioned steps taken by the Lebanese authorities in the Dahr al-Baydar case and called for a swift, independent judicial process without political interference to ensure full accountability.
Hezbollah's position
The Lebanese authorities have committed to establishing state control over all weapons and reserving decisions on war and peace exclusively for the state. At the same time, Hezbollah rejects these decisions and insists on retaining its own weapons.
Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, Loyalty to the Resistance, defended a shipment of explosives that security forces seized last month in the Dahr al-Baydar area in eastern Lebanon. The bloc called for an end to political accusations and media disputes, and also criticized the government's approach to negotiations with Israel, demanding a change of course.
The bloc also accused Israel of continuing destruction in southern areas of Lebanon and spoke of threats of an escalation of war, strikes, and assassination attempts targeting Hezbollah and its leaders. These claims represent the position of the group's parliamentary bloc.
