PARIS: Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi on Thursday declared that ending Hezbollah's military presence is a "sovereign Lebanese decision," marking a decisive shift in the country's efforts to consolidate state authority.
Reflecting on his remarks delivered at the French Senate, the Foreign Minister reaffirmed the sovereignty of Lebanon and announced that the nation will not return to duality. He announced the exclusion of "weapons" outside the state's authority.
"From the French Senate, I reaffirmed that Lebanon has made its choice: there will be no return to dual authority, and there is no longer any place for weapons outside the authority of the state or for decisions taken outside its constitutional institutions," he wrote in a post on X.
"The decision to end Hezbollah's military presence is a sovereign Lebanese decision. It preceded the Framework Agreement and paved the way for it, affirming that decisions on war and peace, as well as foreign policy, are now the exclusive prerogative of the Lebanese state," he added. The foreign minister further clarified that the state's push to extend its control is tethered to broader security requirements for the nation. (ANI)
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