Hashd al-Shaabi close to gaining ministry status in Iraq
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L'Orient-Le Jour
2 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Army arrests 2 men suspected of assault on officers in Sour
The Lebanese Army command announced Thursday that the troops arrested two men in Sour (southern Lebanon) the previous day, suspected of involvement in an assault against officers in the city, without specifying the date of the incident. "On Aug. 6, 2025, as part of the pursuit of individuals involved in an assault against army officers and the Directorate General of General Security — which resulted in injuries at the time, in the city of Sour — the army's intelligence services managed to arrest Lebanese citizens H.A. and H.F., suspected of taking part in this assault," the army stated in its release. The army also noted that one of its patrols, "in cooperation with General Security, raided the home of the citizen H.H. in the Hosh area of Sour, suspected of having helped the two attackers flee." The soldiers seized a quantity of military weapons and ammunition, as well as military equipment, at the suspect's house. The detainees were handed over to the judiciary along with the seized weapons, and "the investigation is ongoing to arrest the other suspects in this case," the army added. This operation comes a day after another significant army operation in the Sharouneh neighborhood of Baalbeck, during which three of the biggest drug traffickers in the Bekaa and Lebanon were killed, including the notorious "Abu Salleh," who was accused of killing a soldier several years ago. These army actions are taking place in a particular political context, as the government of Nawaf Salam decided last Tuesday to assign the military the task of drafting a plan to disarm all armed groups in Lebanon by the end of the year, including Hezbollah, in order to ensure a monopoly of weapons in the hands of the state. Both Baalbeck and Sour are strongholds of the Shiite Amal-Hezbollah alliance.
L'Orient-Le Jour
2 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Aoun: Government will finalize today decision on arms monopoly
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Thursday in a press interview that the Nawaf Salam government, which is set to meet at 3 p.m. in Baabda, will 'finalize' the decisions regarding the restoration of the state's arms monopoly, two days after a government decision to achieve this monopoly by the end of the year, including dismantling Hezbollah's arsenal. Speaking to Al Hadath and Al Arabiya, the head of state asserted that 'the arms monopoly will be achieved, regardless of the difficulties and obstacles.' In this context, the authorities are therefore waiting for the army's plan 'in order to discuss and approve it,' he added, as the military was tasked Tuesday with drawing up this plan and presenting it to the cabinet before the end of August. 'Arms monopoly does not undermine sovereignty' In this context, this afternoon's Cabinet meeting, which is to take place as the Shiite tandem has expressed its opposition to any disarmament of Hezbollah, should allow for 'finalizing the expected decisions regarding the arms monopoly,' Aoun said. He confirmed that this would enable 'progress toward implementing the commitments made' in his January inaugural speech and the Salam government's ministerial statement. Recovering the exclusivity of weapons in the hands of the state and the Lebanese Army 'does not undermine the rights and sovereignty of Lebanon,' Aoun assured. On Wednesday, Hezbollah denounced the government's decision to disarm it as a "serious sin," while its ally Amal accused the government of 'making more gratuitous concessions to the enemy' instead of 'focusing its efforts on consolidating the cease-fire and putting an end to the Israeli death machine.' Ministers Tamara al-Zein and Rakan Nassereddine, who represent the tandem's share within the government, left Tuesday's government meeting when discussions about disarmament began. Meanwhile, the Lebanese president considered that the possible implementation by Lebanon of the roadmap presented in Beirut by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack to ensure compliance with the cease-fire modalities in effect since November 2024 'also requires the agreement of Syria and Israel, with American and French guarantees,' and not just Lebanese commitments. In addition to disarming militias, this document provides for launching reforms and demarcating the border with Syria. For his part, Minister of State for Administrative Transition Fadi Makki, the only Shiite minister not aligned with the tandem, told Al-Mayadeen (close to Hezbollah) that he will attend the meeting, because decisions as important as those regarding the arms monopoly 'cannot be made without the presence of Shiite ministers.'
L'Orient-Le Jour
2 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Hezbollah disarmament: Washington 'will not deploy Marines to do job for state': Barrack
U.S. envoy Tom Barrack stated on Wednesday that Washington is prepared to facilitate talks between Israel and Lebanon if the latter "commits to the disarmament of Hezbollah by the end of 2025." On Tuesday, Nawaf Salam's government set the end of the year as the deadline to restore the state's monopoly on arms in the country, and therefore to disarm the Shiite party and other armed groups. Many of Hezbollah's critics welcomed this decision. However, Hezbollah rejected any disarmament timetable as long as 'Israeli aggression' against Lebanon continues, despite the cease-fire agreed upon in November, saying it would act as if this decision "did not exist." 'One army only' "The United States is willing to act as mediator with Israel, on one condition: that the Lebanese government explicitly declares there can be only one army in Lebanon and commits to a plan to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year," the U.S. envoy said during a meeting with journalists. He also affirmed that "America will not come and deploy Marines on the ground to do this job instead of the Lebanese state," noting that "this is not Trump's goal, nor is it anyone else's mission." "The Gulf countries have said: 'If you take these steps, we will come to southern Lebanon, we will fund an industrial zone, reconstruction operations, and job creation. This will be the starting point of everything that follows,'" he emphasized. Since President Joseph Aoun took office, and following the recent war between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanese authorities have been pushing for a state monopoly on arms. A Cabinet meeting is scheduled for Thursday to discuss the American roadmap given to Lebanese authorities by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, who has made several recent trips to Beirut to advocate for this measure. It is still unknown whether ministers from the Shiite tandem will attend this meeting.
