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BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, addressing Hezbollah and its allies on Thursday, called for a return to state legitimacy as the foundation of national resilience.

In a speech, Aoun demanded the disarmament of Hezbollah and extension of the Lebanese state’s authority over all its territory.

Addressing the militant group on Army Day, he said: “To those who have confronted aggression, and to their honorable national community, your reliance should be only on the Lebanese state. Otherwise, your sacrifices will be in vain, and the state, or what remains of its institutions, will collapse.”

The Lebanese president stressed the precarious moment the country faces, describing the region as suspended between chaos and opportunity. 

Lebanon is grappling with a years-long economic crisis and a fragile sectarian political system that have further eroded the state’s ability to exercise its authority.

For Lebanon, Aoun said, the choice is between a return to stability, or total collapse.

Detailing recent negotiations with the US, Aoun revealed that Lebanon has made substantial amendments to draft proposals on Hezbollah’s disarmament, which will be presented to the Council of Ministers early next week as part of efforts to implement the fragile November 2024 ceasefire agreement with Israel.

Lebanon has demanded an immediate cessation of Israeli hostilities, including assassinations, a full Israeli withdrawal behind the internationally recognized borders, the release of Lebanese prisoners, and the full implementation of Lebanese state authority over all its territory in exchange for the disarmament of all armed groups, including Hezbollah, and the transfer of their resources to the Lebanese Army.

He also called for $1 billion annually for 10 years from friendly countries to support Lebanese security forces.

Beirut plans to hold an international donor conference for postwar reconstruction efforts next autumn.

Aoun urged loyalty to victims of the Israel-Hezbollah war and “to the cause they gave their lives for,” calling for an end to the bloodshed and destruction.

The nation “should stop this path of self-destruction, especially when wars become senseless, pointless, and prolonged for the benefit of others,” he urged.

Aoun announced plans to deploy over 4,500 additional troops south of the Litani River, where forces, as confirmed by the international military oversight committee, have successfully collected and destroyed weapons and established state authority in non-occupied areas, despite Israel’s failure to honor its commitments to the ceasefire.

Israel was meant to pull all of its troops out of Lebanon, but has kept them in five areas it deems strategic.

The president called for constructive dialogue on weapons monopolization, emphasizing that political differences must remain within bounds of mutual respect and legitimate competition under the constitution.

“This is a decisive moment that cannot tolerate provocation from any quarter or destructive political maneuvering. Whether the threats are security or economic in nature, no single faction will be immune from their consequences,” he warned.

Aoun’s comments came ahead of Tuesday’s high-stakes Cabinet meeting, with the state’s monopoly on arms on the agenda.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem preemptively rejected any disarmament discussion Wednesday night. “Our arsenal is non-negotiable,” he declared, characterizing such demands as an attempt to “dismantle Lebanon’s defensive capabilities.”

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam pushed back against claims of provocation, noting that all parliamentary blocs — including Hezbollah and Amal — had previously endorsed the government’s commitment to the state’s monopoly on weapons.

Adding to regional complications, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich made provocative remarks on Wednesday, asserting that Israeli forces would maintain their grip on five strategic positions seized during recent ground operations in southern Lebanon.

Beirut rejected this, voicing concerns that Israel will indefinitely occupy the elevated positions regardless of Lebanese compliance with its ceasefire obligations.

Among Lebanon’s demands in the response to the US proposal was the demarcation and consolidation of the land and maritime borders with Syria with the assistance of the US, France, ������Ƶ, and specialized teams at the UN; the resolution of the Syrian refugee issue; the fight against smuggling and drugs; and support for alternative agriculture and industries.

“We are tired of fighting others’ wars on our soil, of risking everything on uncertain bets and reckless adventures,” Aoun said.

“It’s time to stop making excuses for the ambitions of those who exploit our divisions and fears. At times, some of us have confronted these threats alone, outside the framework of the state, hoping, sometimes with good intentions, that the state is too weak to resist, that the enemy is within us, or that other allies will fight our battles for us. All these illusions have now been shattered,” he stated.

Underscoring the toll the conflict has taken on Lebanon, Aoun emphasized that only state-held arms can ensure national security and unity, urging full support and unity behind the Lebanese Armed Forces.

“Nothing is safer in the face of aggression than the weapons of the Lebanese Army — an institution backed by a state rooted in justice, institutions, and the public interest,” he said. “We must all rally behind the Army, whose weapons are the strongest, leadership the most trusted, and soldiers the most resilient.”

Speaking at the Defense Ministry after laying a wreath at the Army Martyrs’ Monument, Aoun outlined the challenges facing Lebanon since the November 2024 ceasefire.

He detailed thousands of Israeli violations, killing hundreds and preventing residents from returning to their homes, while praising the Lebanese Army’s resilience despite suffering casualties in implementing ceasefire terms with limited resources.

“Together, we seek to rebuild a state that safeguards all citizens,” Aoun said, “one where no group relies on outside powers, arms, foreign alliances, external backing, or changing geopolitical dynamics for strength. Rather, our collective power should come from national unity, mutual agreement, and our armed forces.”

In a second appeal to Hezbollah, Aoun said: “You possess too much honor to jeopardize our nation-building efforts, and too much dignity to give enemies justification for continued aggression while we remain trapped in tragedy and self-destruction.”

He warned that delays in disarmament “would be willingly forfeiting international and Arab backing while sacrificing our national unity — an outcome neither you nor we desire.”

The president also addressed Lebanon’s efforts to reconnect with Arab nations and the broader international community, welcoming a Saudi proposal to accelerate border stabilization measures along the Lebanese-Syrian frontier.

“Lebanon remains committed to fostering strong relationships with Syria, our neighbor, for our mutual benefit,” he said.