Lebanon Cabinet “welcomes” army weapons plan

Shafaq News – Beirut

Lebanon’s Cabinet on Friday “welcomed” the Lebanese Army’s plan to restrict weapons possession, while keeping its details confidential and requiring monthly progress reports.

The meeting, held in the afternoon at Baabda Palace with President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and cabinet ministers in attendance, reviewed the practical framework prepared by the army in line with a cabinet resolution adopted on August 5.

Information Minister Paul Morcos said in a press briefing after the session that the council “welcomed” the plan, citing provisions of the 1989 Taif Agreement, the ministerial declaration, and the presidential oath as the plan’s base.

The government deliberately avoided using the term “approval” of the plan.

Morcos added that the army will begin implementing the plan “within the limits of its available and limited resources” and will exercise discretion in its operations depending on field conditions, which may extend the timeline. He also linked the plan’s success to regional dynamics, stressing that “any progress in implementing the content of the US paper depends on other parties, foremost among them Israel.”

“The full implementation of the cessation of hostilities agreement is the operational mechanism for applying Resolution 1701,” Morcos stated, reaffirming Lebanon’s commitment to the resolution in its entirety and to achieving security and stability along its southern border.

The session was marked by tensions as Hezbollah and Amal ministers, along with independent Shiite minister Fadi Makki, walked out of the meeting upon the arrival of Army Commander Gen. Rudolph Haikal to discuss the disarmament plan. The move repeated their protest against the government’s decision to assign the army responsibility for drafting and implementing such a plan.

Hezbollah had also rejected the Cabinet’s decision last month, accusing the government of yielding to US and Israeli pressure and vowing to “treat this decision as if it does not exist.”

Since a US-brokered ceasefire ended the latest Israel-Lebanon war in November, the Shiite group has faced growing international and domestic calls to hand over its weapons. Hezbollah leaders insist they will not consider disarmament until Israel withdraws from five contested hills inside Lebanese territory and halts its regular airstrikes. Israel’s military says its operations aim to prevent Hezbollah from rearming and to protect its northern border communities.

Lebanese officials have approached the issue cautiously, warning that any attempt to forcibly seize Hezbollah’s arsenal risks sparking internal conflict.

Since the ceasefire, the Lebanese Army has collected caches of weapons and ammunition south of the Litani River, where Hezbollah has largely withdrawn.