Lebanon faces choice between 'state monopoly on arms or militia influence', says president

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Saturday that his country faces a "fateful" choice between a state monopoly on weapons or remaining "hostage to the logic of militias."

Aoun's remarks came in a statement to mark the 48th anniversary of the assassination of former Lebanese minister Tony Suleiman Frangieh, the presidency said on the US social media company X.

"This painful anniversary comes as Lebanon today stands before a fateful crossroads: either its people unite around a sovereign state that monopolizes arms, upholds the rule of law, and protects its citizens regardless of affiliation or position, or it remains hostage to the logic of militias and a culture of exclusion," Aoun said.

Stating that national unity is an "existential necessity," the Lebanese president pledged to work for "a Lebanon where its people live free and equal—bound not only by geography but by true citizenship and belonging to a state of law and justice."

His statement came as Israel continues its attacks on Lebanon despite a fragile ceasefire that began on April 17 and several rounds of US-sponsored negotiations between Beirut and Tel Aviv in Washington.