Lebanese Foreign Minister: The government has decided to end the military presence of Hezbollah

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raji said that the government has taken a "historic decision" to end Hezbollah's military presence, and that this step expresses  a "pure national will" and not the result of external pressures, stressing that the monopoly of legitimate power should be the sole responsibility of the state.

 During a speech delivered in the French Senate as part of the "Solidarity with Lebanon" conference on Thursday (July 16th),  Raji added that his country "has chosen to rebuild a fully sovereign state" that has a monopoly on its foreign policy and national security, and exercises the right to use force alone.

The decision to end the party's military presence comes in the context of a government move to limit weapons to the state, as approved by the government last August, he said.

Beirut is the author of the decision for peace and war

The minister pointed out that the state "cannot restore its credibility and prestige" in light of the presence of armed organizations operating outside its constitutional authority, stressing that decisions of war, peace and foreign policy "are made today in Beirut alone."

The Lebanese minister  stressed that the government is working to gradually extend the authority of the Lebanese army over the entire territory, including the south, in accordance with sovereign and Security Council resolutions.

Raji linked the completion of the implementation of the resolution to "the complete Israeli withdrawal from all Lebanese territory," considering that the continuation of the occupation "undermines the institutions of the state and delays the restoration of stability," and that sustainable stability cannot be achieved unless the state is the only party that monopolizes the use of legitimate force.

The foreign minister described Hizbullah as living in a state of denial of current realities and field indicators, calling on the party's leadership to deal realistically with new changes and fulfill its commitments.

Larche: A brave and historic decision

French Senate President Gérard Larchet stressed that the Lebanese government's decision to end Hezbollah's military presence and move towards the diplomatic track constitutes a "brave and historic turn" in the path of restoring the sovereignty of the state, considering that the step represents the beginning of the dismantling of successive crises that Lebanon has experienced as a result of the dual arms and the absence of a unified resolution.

 Larché said that the recent crisis on the ground and in Lebanon was, in his words, "a crisis caused by Hezbollah" as a result of its unilateral decision to make war and peace outside state institutions, noting that this reality has disrupted the state's ability to impose its constitutional authority and weakened its institutions.

Larché stressed that the Lebanese step represents the "main pillar" to end the structural crises that have plagued the country and to build long-term stability locally and regionally, stressing that the state's monopoly on legitimate power is the first condition for the return of internal and external trust.

The President of the French Senate reiterated his full support for Lebanon in its current negotiation track, both to ensure a comprehensive Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory and to enable state institutions to extend their authority over the entire national geography.

He pointed out that Paris' hosting of the parliamentary and political conference comes to provide European and international political cover for the steps taken by the Lebanese government and army in the framework of restoring security control.

Hezbollah: Lebanese Authority Presents 'Worst Deal' in the History of States

The Rome 6 negotiations between Lebanon and Israel concluded on Wednesday amid indications of progress in discussing the mechanisms for implementing the "Framework Agreement", especially with regard to the start of the implementation of the first phase and the Israeli withdrawal from the "test zones" and the timetable.

Hezbollah continued its attack on the "framework agreement", as a member of its parliamentary bloc, Hassan Fadlallah, said that the Lebanese authority had presented "the worst agreement in the history of countries" with an occupied country, considering that it does not include any Israeli commitment to withdraw, and does not preserve Lebanon's rights and sovereignty, but rather serves Israeli interests, and aims to weaken and disarm the resistance.

He said that the agreement is not workable, and that attempts to market it will not change its content, reaffirming linking the Lebanese file to the Iranian negotiations, and said: "Iran is working to impose an equation in the region, and this equation will be in the interest of the region and the interest of our country, and we have full confidence in the leadership of the Islamic Republic and the Iranian people to reach the desired solution together, which lies in the withdrawal of the enemy from our land, the cessation of all forms of aggression, the return of our people, the release of prisoners, and the reconstruction, these are our bases on which we are working, and which we will reach to him."