The US has called on Lebanon’s government to create a plan to disarm Hezbollah and other groups across the entire country.
– “We are closely monitoring calls from Southern Lebanon, where people are demanding their government assert sovereignty and stop Hezbollah from firing and storing weapons in their communities,” a State Department official said.
– This comes after a group of over 400 activists, including doctors, lawyers, bankers, journalists and academics, signed an open letter calling for the immediate deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh.
– The State Department official applauded the recent calls and said it supported the Lebanese government’s receptiveness to their requests.
– Hezbollah has so far refused to give up its weapons despite a law being passed earlier this year banning the group’s military activities.
– “Hezbollah’s weapons have only brought misery and destruction to Lebanon. Hezbollah remains the obstacle to peace,” the State Department official said.
– “We urge the Government of Lebanon to formulate a plan for disarmament in all Lebanese territory, as laid out in the Trilateral Framework,” the official added.