כיכר השבת

Lebanese President calls for state monopoly on arms

Recent speeches by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem demonstrate the widening rift over the future of Hezbollah’s arsenal and the state’s sovereignty. Aoun declared that Lebanon faces a binary choice: “collapse or stability,” arguing that national stability can only be achieved by consolidating all weapons under the authority of the Lebanese state. In sharp contrast, Qassem warned yesterday that Lebanon faces a different fork in the road: “sovereignty or subjugation and occupation,” claiming that relinquishing Hezbollah’s weapons would accelerate foreign control over the country.