ISTANBUL

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday unveiled key elements of a Lebanese draft response to a US proposal on disarming Hezbollah, saying the army should hold weapons as the country seeks to restore sovereignty and stability.

Speaking at the Defense Ministry in Beirut on the occasion of Army Day, Aoun said Lebanon must “seize the historic opportunity” to affirm the state’s sole authority over arms and to end the cycle of wars “fought for others and on our soil.”

“No weapon is more reliable than the army’s in the face of aggression,” Aoun said, warning that “the current stage is decisive and cannot tolerate provocations.”

The Lebanese draft calls for an immediate halt to Israeli hostilities by land, sea, and air, including assassinations, and for Israel’s full withdrawal behind internationally recognized borders, coupled with the release of detainees.

It further seeks to extend state authority across all Lebanese territory, requiring all armed groups, including Hezbollah, to surrender their weapons to the national army.

To strengthen Lebanon’s security institutions, the plan envisions $1 billion in annual international funding for a decade. It also proposes convening an international donor conference in the fall to launch a nationwide reconstruction program.

Another key element is the demarcation and confirmation of Lebanon’s land and maritime borders with Syria, with assistance from the US, France, Saudi Arabia, and UN experts. The draft also addresses the pressing

Syrian refugee crisis, while outlining measures to combat smuggling and drug trafficking and to support alternative agriculture and industries.

“These provisions,” Aoun said, “block Israel from continuing its aggression, enforce its withdrawal from occupied land, and for the first time firmly draw Lebanon’s borders south and east.”

His remarks came days after US envoy Tom Barrack warned that “the credibility of Lebanon’s government rests on its ability to match principle with practice.”

“As its leaders have said repeatedly, it is critical that the state has a monopoly on arms. As long as Hezbollah retains arms, words will not suffice,” he said on X.

On Wednesday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem stressed that his group will not surrender its weapons “for the sake of Israel,” asserting that disarmament is “a purely internal Lebanese matter.”

Aoun also revealed that Lebanon had received a Saudi initiative to help secure stability along the Lebanese-Syrian border, emphasizing the importance of regional cooperation for Lebanon’s recovery.

“Together, we want to restore a state that protects all its people,” Aoun said. “No faction should rely on outside powers or arms, but we must all draw strength from our unity, our consensus, and our army.”

Israel launched military operations in Lebanon on Oct. 8, 2023, which escalated into a full-scale war by September 2024, killing more than 4,000 people and injuring around 17,000.

A ceasefire was reached in November, but Israeli forces have conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, claiming to target activities of the Hezbollah group.

Under the truce, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Tel Aviv refused to comply. Israel still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.