Arab League Secretary-General Ahmad Aboul Gheit at the 21st Arab Media Forum in Beirut, on Oct. 29, 2025. (Credit: NNA)
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmad Aboul Gheit, who has been in Beirut since Tuesday, said Israel’s ongoing strikes on Lebanon — despite the truce — are meant to “sow discord” in the country, but Lebanon’s political factions “will not fall into this trap.”
He made the remarks on Wednesday at the opening of the 21st Arab Media Forum, held in Lebanon, as the South and Bekaa remain targets of near-daily Israeli strikes.
“The Arab League stands with you in insisting on Israel’s full withdrawal from your territories and the implementation of Resolution 1701 in all its aspects,” Aboul Gheit said, according to comments reported by the state-run National News Agency (NNA). “Israel’s ongoing violations of the November cease-fire are nothing but a desperate attempt to disrupt Lebanon’s internal situation and sow discord.”
He said he was confident that “all Lebanese parties will refuse to fall into this obvious trap,” even as political debate continues over reconstruction funding and the restoration of the state’s monopoly on weapons. The issue of disarming militias — particularly Hezbollah — has raised fears of internal tensions, as the party refuses to hand over its arsenal to the army, which continues to dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure south of the Litani River.
“The Lebanese Army has both the capacity and the will to implement the government’s decision on exclusive control of weapons,” Aboul Gheit said.
Addressing the Gaza war, he condemned what he called “a war of extermination led by Israel,” adding, “It is a shame for humanity, which has watched, observed and allowed the occupier to continue its killings and destruction. We hope the Sharm al-Sheikh agreement will mark the end of this horrible bloodshed.”
President Joseph Aoun also spoke at the opening ceremony, steering clear of political issues and instead focusing on artificial intelligence and disinformation.
Later, during a meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Joe Rajji, Aboul Gheit reiterated “the importance of putting Lebanese national interests above all other considerations.”
Rajji, for his part, called for “pressure on Israel” to end its strikes and withdraw from Lebanese territory, stressing that the Cabinet is “determined to extend its sovereignty over all Lebanese land by its own means exclusively.”
