Lebanon bans Hezbollah military activities

Shafaq News- Beirut

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the decision of war and peace rests exclusively with the government, announcing an immediate ban on Hezbollah’s military and security activities and limiting the group’s role to political work.

Speaking after a Cabinet session in Beirut, Salam said the government “rejects any military or security actions launched from Lebanese territory outside legitimate state institutions,” describing Hezbollah’s recent actions as “a departure from Cabinet decisions.”

He said the government has imposed an immediate prohibition on Hezbollah’s military and security activities, considering them illegal, and has required the group to hand over its weapons and confine its activities to the political sphere.

Salam added that the government has instructed the Lebanese Army to implement a plan to restrict weapons to the state “by all means,” without detailing the timeline or mechanisms for enforcement.

The prime minister also reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to the declaration of cessation of hostilities and to resuming negotiations, amid continued tensions along the southern border.

The Cabinet’s statement came hours after Hezbollah said it launched rockets toward Israel, describing the attack as a defensive response and as retaliation for the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Israel responded with airstrikes on southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, saying it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure and senior commanders.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Health said at least 31 people were killed in the Israeli strikes.

Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Shiite political party that maintains an armed wing alongside its parliamentary bloc, has not immediately responded to the government’s announcement. The group has previously described its military activities as part of its “resistance” strategy.