Escalating Lebanese calls to confine weapons to state authority coincided with continued Israeli military escalation in the south of the country. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Lebanon stands before a fateful crossroads between building a state that holds a monopoly on arms or remaining hostage to the logic of militias. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called on Hezbollah to honour its commitments and support the negotiating track aimed at ending the war, stressing that exclusive state control over weapons and the restoration of war-and-peace decisions to the state are not Israeli demands but Lebanese obligations enshrined since the Taif Agreement.
Aoun affirmed that the country faces a decisive choice between a sovereign state that enforces the law and protects its citizens without discrimination, and the continuation of divisions and conflicts that have marked previous chapters of Lebanon's history.
Speaking at the 48th anniversary of the assassination of former minister Tony Frangieh, he said Lebanon can no longer afford "sectarian indulgence or regional polarisation," calling for the strengthening of national unity on the basis of justice, citizenship, and allegiance to a state of law and rights.
The Lebanese president warned of the gravity of the phase Lebanon is passing through, stressing that the country stands before a "fateful obligation" that demands a choice between building a state that monopolises arms and enforces the rule of law, or continuing as a hostage to the logic of militias and a culture of exclusion.
Speaking at the 48th anniversary of the assassination of former minister Tony Frangieh, as reported by the Lebanese National News Agency, he said that commemorating this painful occasion must prompt the Lebanese to draw lessons from the tragedies of the past, emphasising that the country can no longer tolerate sectarian divisions or regional polarisation.
Aoun affirmed that national unity is no longer merely a political slogan but an existential necessity, grounded in candour, justice, and equity among Lebanon's various social components, calling for the entrenchment of the concepts of citizenship and allegiance to a state of law and rights.
The Lebanese president renewed his commitment to working towards building a state in which all Lebanese enjoy freedom and equality within the framework of the rule of law and state institutions.
In the same context, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam demanded that Hezbollah prioritise Lebanon's national interest and abide by the commitments it agreed to within the government's ministerial statement, stressing that exclusive state control over arms and the restoration of war-and-peace decisions to the state are not Israeli demands but Lebanese obligations enshrined since the Taif Agreement.
Salam said the government is continuing negotiations with the aim of achieving a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory and the return of displaced persons to their areas, emphasising that Lebanon negotiates as an independent state "on whose behalf no one else negotiates." He also called on the party to support the negotiations scheduled to resume within the coming days under American auspices.
On the ground, Israel continued its military operations in southern Lebanon, with the Israeli army issuing urgent evacuation orders for residents of 20 towns and villages stretching from the environs of Nabatieh to the Jezzine area, ordering residents to head north of the Zahrani River.
The warnings were followed by a series of air strikes targeting the towns of Kfarhouna, Rihan, Sajad, Qatrani, Majdal Zoun, Khiam, and other areas. Lebanese media reported the killing of the mayor of Rihan in one of the strikes and the death of another person in the town of Maaraka, in addition to a Lebanese soldier being seriously wounded after being targeted by an Israeli drone near Nabatieh.
The Israeli army also continued artillery shelling and the demolition of houses and buildings in a number of border areas, while announcing the interception of an aerial target coming from Lebanon.
In Israel, air raid sirens sounded in the northern towns of Metula and Misgav Am near the Lebanese border on the morning of the previous day, following the detection of drone infiltrations, according to the Times of Israel.
Israeli media reported that projectiles were detected heading towards the area and that air defence systems were activated.