Speaking at the Lebanon–European Union Partnership Council meeting in Brussels on Monday, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji said the full implementation of the decision to restrict the bearing of arms in Lebanon exclusively to the state should be completed by the end of 2026, with the first phase expected to be completed by the end of this year.
Addressing European officials, Rajji described the government decision made on August 5 to implement disarmament “returns authority over war and peace to constitutional institutions, dismantles all illegal armed groups, including Hezbollah and Palestinian factions, and provides for the extension of state sovereignty over the entire Lebanese territory, in line with the Taif Agreement and UN Security Council resolutions 1559 and 1701.”
According to Rajji, the Lebanese army is tasked with implementing the decision, reflecting the will of the vast majority of Lebanese who reject the concept of a “state within a state.” Rajji also noted that support for the Lebanese army “is not an act of charity, but a strategic investment in stability,” calling on the European Union to continue backing the military institution.
He also stressed that the success of restoring the Lebanese state depends on Israel’s compliance with its commitments, including withdrawal from five points where Israeli forces remain deployed in southern Lebanon, the release of Lebanese detainees, and full adherence to the ceasefire concluded in November 2024.
The minister said Lebanon favors de-escalation and dialogue, arguing that a return to the framework of the 1949 Armistice Agreement remains, in the absence of a comprehensive settlement, “the most credible path to ensuring stability along the southern border.”
On the issue of Syrian displaced persons, Rajji said “the solution does not lie in the indefinite management of displacement,” but in joint efforts to reach sustainable solutions. He stressed that support for a safe, dignified and gradual return to Syria is essential to Lebanon’s stability and regional balance.
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