Lebanon President affirms commitment to disarmament plan

Lebanon President Joseph Aoun has affirmed his commitment to disarm all non- state actors including Hezbollah, by the end of 2025, MP Firas Hamdan said Monday.

Following his meeting with Aoun, MP Hamdan said the president is committed to the plan which will be implemented through the Lebanese Army, which comes in fulfillment of his pledges made in the inaugural speech and the ministerial statement.

MP Hamdan affirmed his full support for the “historic and foundational” position, saying it constitutes a fundamental basis for restoring the Lebanese state, and for launching the process of recovery and advancement as well as ensuring the Israeli forces withdrawal from the occupied territories and the displaced person’s return to their villages.

On 7 August the Lebanese cabinet tasked the army with drafting a full disarmament plan and endorsed the objectives of a US-backed proposal calling for the state’s exclusive control over all weapons across the country.

The decision gave the military until the end of August to present its plan. Two days later, the Cabinet approved the main goals of the U.S. proposal, submitted by special envoy Tom Barrack, which calls for fully implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701, reasserting state sovereignty, and ending all armed non-state presence, particularly Hezbollah, across Lebanese territory.

The 11-point plan also references the Taif Agreement, which laid the foundation for post-civil war Lebanon, and calls for strengthening the army and internal security forces as part of the transition.