Security meeting led by Joseph Aoun over Israeli violations and disarmament of camps

President Joseph Aoun chaired a security meeting on Friday focused on the situation in southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Palestinian camps, the presidency announced.

“The meeting was dedicated to an examination of the security situation in the country, particularly in the south, in light of the continued Israeli aggressions that hinder the full deployment of the Lebanese army,” stated the presidency.

Present were Defense Minister Michel Menassa, army commander General Rodolphe Haykal, director of intelligence General Antoine Kahwaji, as well as the president's military and security advisor, General Antoine Mansour.

General Haykal said last week that the daily Israeli violations in southern Lebanon “hinder the full deployment of the army” south of the Litani. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also denounced the occupation by Israel of several areas in southern Lebanon, stating that it prevents the Lebanese state from extending its sovereignty and regaining the monopoly on arms.

The Israeli army continues to occupy five positions it considers “strategic” in southern Lebanon, although it was supposed to completely withdraw after its ground offensive launched in September 2024, as part of the conflict with Hezbollah. Despite the Nov. 27 cease-fire, Israeli air and artillery strikes continue almost daily on southern Lebanon, and have also hit the Bekaa, and three times the southern suburbs of Beirut. According to the cease-fire agreement, outlined by Security Council resolution 1701 (2006), Lebanese authorities committed to controlling the entire territory and the army deployed in southern Lebanon, where it works to dismantle Hezbollah's military infrastructure, which was left significantly weakened following its confrontation with Israel.

The presidency also stated that participants in Friday’s meeting “reviewed the measures taken to begin the withdrawal of weapons from the Palestinian camps in Beirut, in accordance with the agreement reached during the visit of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.” According to the terms of the agreement, the disarmament will begin in mid-June.

This visit, the first since 2017 for Abbas, was part of the process initiated by the Lebanese authorities to consolidate the state's sovereignty over the entire national territory.