Lebanese army to present arms monopoly plan next week: Prime Minister

BEIRUT/ISTANBUL

The Lebanese army will present a comprehensive plan to the government next week aimed at ensuring exclusive state control over weapons, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Tuesday.

“The course of exclusive state authority over weapons, the extension of its power, and its monopoly over decisions of war and peace has begun, and there is no turning back,” Salam said during a meeting with US envoy Tom Barrack and his accompanying delegation.

A statement by Salam’s office said his discussions with the US delegation dwelt on Lebanon’s domestic situation and the outcomes of the delegation’s regional tour.

Salam thanked the US for its ongoing support of the Lebanese army and called for expanded financial and military assistance, describing the institution as a trusted pillar of Lebanon’s stability.

He urged clear international commitments, particularly from major donors, to support Lebanon’s upcoming international conference on reconstruction and economic recovery.

The US delegation, for its part, praised Lebanon’s commitment to restricting arms to the state and implementing financial and banking reforms, stressing the importance of continuing these efforts “for the benefit of all Lebanese.”

On Aug. 5, the Lebanese government approved a plan to consolidate all weapons under state control and tasked the army with drafting a plan to achieve this by the end of the month and executing it before the end of 2025. Hezbollah rejected the decision, calling it a “grave sin.”

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.