BEIRUT: “Resorting to force to implement the Lebanese government’s decision to limit arms to the state is out of the question under any circumstances, and cannot take place at present,” Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said during political meetings on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly in New York.
“The decision to limit arms to the state is in the process of being implemented after overcoming the main obstacle facing it, which is the continued Israeli occupation of the eight hills it has seized, as well as other Lebanese territories,” he said.
Aoun stressed that he “is keen on preserving the unity of the Lebanese people and on preventing anything that could harm this unity,” his media office said on Wednesday.
The president held talks on Tuesday with several Arab and other foreign officials about the security of Lebanon and the situation in the wider region. He called on US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to put pressure on Israel to honor its ceasefire deal with Lebanese authorities and halt its attacks.
In particular, he asked Rubio for US assistance in confirming Israel’s commitment to the Nov. 27, 2024, agreement to end hostilities in southern Lebanon and withdraw from areas it occupies there.
Aoun also discussed the situation in southern Lebanon with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, telling him that Israel was failing to comply with the terms of the ceasefire agreement, even amid growing international calls for action to prevent the security situation from deteriorating further.
In a speech to the General Assembly, Aoun said: “Lebanon has decisively chosen not to be a hub of death, a quagmire of wars, or a launching point for their spread throughout its surroundings.”
He repeated his demand for an immediate end to Israeli attacks, and the withdrawal of the country’s forces from Lebanese territory, as well the release of all prisoners, saying that Lebanon “will neither forget nor abandon” them.
The president stressed the importance of fully implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which was adopted by the Security Council in 2006 with the aim of resolving the conflict that year between Israel and Hezbollah. It calls for an end to hostilities, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, the withdrawal of Hezbollah and other forces from the south of the country, and the disarmament of Hezbollah and other armed groups.
Aoun also praised the UN Interim Force in Lebanon for its collaboration with the Lebanese army in efforts to maintain security and stability during this transitional period in the country.
Hezbollah opposes any call to surrender its weapons before Israel fulfills its obligations under the 2024 ceasefire agreement.
US envoy Tom Barrack sparked controversy in Lebanon with recent comments in which he conceded that the situation in the country remains “very difficult” but said the efforts so far to disarm Hezbollah have been “just talk without any actual action.”
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam criticized Barrack for undermining “the seriousness of the government and the role of the Lebanese army.”
Barrack’s remarks came before he took part in talks in New York this week between Aoun and Rubio, at which the US envoy to Lebanon, Morgan Ortagus, was also present.
Meanwhile, low-altitude aerial activity by Israeli forces in Lebanese airspace intensified on Wednesday. Reconnaissance warplanes flew over Beirut, its southern suburbs, northern Bekaa, and the Chouf region. Security forces also observed drones dropping objects into valleys in the south of the country.
The resumption of Israeli aerial missions deep inside Lebanese territory comes as Hezbollah prepares to commemorate the first anniversaries of the killings of its secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, on Sept. 27 last year, and his de facto successor, Hashem Safieddine, on Oct. 3.
Elsewhere, the UN Interim Force’s spokesperson, Candice Ardell, said an Israeli drone had crashed inside UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura but no one was injured.
“Peacekeepers specialized in explosive ordnance disposal immediately isolated the drone and secured its surroundings, and it turned out that it was not armed but was equipped with a camera. The Israeli army later confirmed that the drone belonged to it,” she said.
“Peacekeeping forces are equipped and ready to take measures against any threats to their safety in self-defense. However, this drone fell on its own.
“As with all Israeli army drones and other aerial sorties over southern Lebanon, this is considered a violation of Resolution 1701 and of Lebanese sovereignty.”
Ardell warned: “UNIFIL takes any interference with, or threats against, its personnel, facilities or operations seriously and will officially protest this act.
“Despite these challenges, peacekeeping forces continue to work with impartiality and steadfastness to support security and stability in southern Lebanon, which ongoing violations continue to put them at risk.”
