The Lebanese President, Joseph Aoun, and his wife, in Bkirki. Photo X/Lebanese Presidency.
BEIRUT — Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Sunday described the disarmament of Hezbollah as a “sensitive and delicate” issue, as Israeli airstrikes killed two people in southern Lebanon, according to authorities.
Despite a cease-fire that took effect Nov. 27, the Israeli air force carried out a series of raids across southern Lebanon. The Lebanese Health Ministry said two people were killed, while the Israeli military claimed it had targeted a senior Hezbollah member.
Aoun said the question of the state’s monopoly over weapons was “a sensitive, delicate, and fundamental subject for the preservation of civil peace.”
“We will establish” such a monopoly, he told reporters. “But we must wait until circumstances allow.” He added: “No one is talking about a timetable or pressure.”
The remarks come as the United States, a key ally of Israel, has pressed Lebanese authorities to disarm Hezbollah.
“Controversial domestic issues can only be addressed in a spirit of dialogue and consultation, without confrontation,” Aoun warned. “Otherwise, we will lead Lebanon to ruin.”
Hezbollah has emerged weakened from more than a year of conflict with Israel, including a two-month-long escalation in the fall triggered by the war in Gaza. Still, the group has rejected any disarmament.
“Hezbollah will not allow anyone to disarm it,” Secretary-General Naim Qassem said Friday. He expressed willingness to engage in a “dialogue” on a national defense strategy, “but not under the pressure of Israeli occupation and aggression.”
Deputy U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus recently said Hezbollah’s disarmament should happen “as soon as possible.” A senior Hezbollah official countered that no such discussion could happen while Israeli forces remained inside Lebanon.
Smuggling allegations
The Lebanese Health Ministry said Sunday that an Israeli airstrike targeted a vehicle in Kauthariyet al-Seyyad, between Saida and Sour, killing one person. A separate strike on a house in Houla, near the Israeli border, also killed one person.
The Israeli military did not confirm the exact locations but said it had “eliminated” the deputy head of a Hezbollah unit involved in “smuggling weapons and money” into Lebanon. The army accused the target of collaborating with Iranian officials to carry out smuggling operations through Beirut International Airport and the Lebanese-Syrian border.
The official National News Agency also reported a series of Israeli strikes on the mountainous Iqlim al-Tuffah region, as well as Jezzine and Arnoun.
Though a cease-fire remains in place, Israel continues to launch strikes across southern Lebanon and maintains control of five “strategic” positions in the area. Sunday’s bombardments were notably more intense than in recent days.
Aoun met with army chief Gen. Rodolph Haykal to follow up on “Israeli attacks on several southern villages,” according to a statement from the presidency.
The cease-fire agreement calls for the dismantling of Hezbollah’s military infrastructure south of the Litani River and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from that area, where the Lebanese Army has begun deploying.
On Sunday, the army said it had seized several rockets and launchers in the Saida-Zahrani region and arrested suspects believed to be preparing an attack targeting areas under Israeli control.
