Lebanon: We are committed to disarming Hezbollah

Presidential sources told Naharnet that Lebanon’s top leaders Joseph Aoun, Nabih Berri and Nawaf Salam pledged to U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus that arms would be limited to the state’s hands and withdrawn from Hezbollah as part of the State of Lebanon's effort to assert its authority across the whole country.

Sources speaking to a-Sharq al-Awsat said that “there is constant communication between the leaderships of the army and Hezbollah, with its agenda topped by preparing for the phase of the gradual absorption of Hezbollah’s arms on the basis of commitment to the implementation of 1701 as stipulated by the Taif Agreement, which enjoys support for Hezbollah in the vein of its backing of the resolution related to extending the state’s authority across its territory.”

They further said that “The two leaderships tackled the need to control the situation in the area north of the Litani River to strip Israel of the excuse of rocket launches that was behind the expansion of its airstrikes to include Beirut’s southern suburbs."