Salam responds to Hezbollah's letter: Only the state is authorized to make decisions on war and peace

BEIRUT — Prime Minister Nawaf Salam responded Friday to the open letter sent the previous day by Hezbollah to Lebanese leaders — a rare move — by asserting that only the state is authorized to make decisions regarding war and peace.

In its letter, Hezbollah rejected any "political" negotiation with Israel and reiterated its opposition to disarmament.

Speaking at an event dedicated to artificial intelligence, Salam stressed that "the decision of war and peace belongs exclusively to the Lebanese state, and no party has the right to make it outside its institutions."

Hezbollah opened a "support front" for Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023, which precipitated a 13-month war with Israel that killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon.

More details on the letter here

Hezbollah sends open letter to Aoun, Berri and Salam: No to political negotiations with Israel

The prime minister also recalled that the government has made a "clear decision" regarding the state's monopoly over arms, emphasizing that the Lebanese Army's plan to achieve this "is progressing according to well-defined stages."

This plan is still in its first phase, Salam noted, alluding to the disarmament of Hezbollah south of the Litani River. The Cabinet "is taking all necessary measures to end the Israeli escalation and ensure its withdrawal" from the six positions the Israeli army currently occupies on Lebanese territory along the border, the prime minister stressed.

The previous day, shortly before a Cabinet meeting in Baabda, Hezbollah had addressed an open letter to President Joseph Aoun, the prime minister, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

This letter was made public as President Aoun has repeated in recent days that Lebanon “has no other choice but to negotiate with Israel”, while U.S. and Israeli pressure for direct talks is growing more insistent.

Speaker Berri said Tuesday that such negotiations could take place via the cease-fire monitoring committee established on November 27, 2024, with possible participation by “civilian or military” experts.