The UN's Permanent Representative of Lebanon said on Wednesday that Beirut “will not accept a return to the past”, as the government moves to reassert state authority amid renewed warfare between Israel and Hezbollah.
The UN Security Council met to discuss the sharp rise in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which has killed 634 people and displaced more than 800,000.
“The Lebanese people do not want war, and the Lebanese government is moving forward in implementing its decisions and will not backtrack,” Ahmad Arafa said.
“In our modern history, no Lebanese government has demonstrated this level of courage and determination to reclaim the state authority, to restrict weapons to legitimate state institutions and to extend the state's control exclusively through its own forces over all Lebanese territory.”
After the end of Lebanese Civil War in 1990, militias were required to disarm under a settlement but Hezbollah was exempt because it was fighting Israel’s occupation of south Lebanon at the time.
The Lebanese government has sought to curb the group’s armed wing and end its status as a parallel military force operating outside state authority.
That shift became more evident on March 2, when Lebanon’s Cabinet moved to declare Hezbollah’s military activities illegal.
All but two of 24 government ministers backed the decision, with Hezbollah representatives voting against it. Ministers aligned with the Amal Movement led by parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri, and seen widely as Hezbollah’s closest domestic ally, also supported the measure.
Mr Arafa said that as Lebanon’s priority was ending the war and protecting civilians, Beirut was ready to enter negotiations with Israel under international auspices to resolve outstanding disputes.
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, said that since March 2, Hezbollah has launched more than 880 rockets and missiles, in excess of 60 drones and at least 15 anti-tank missiles at Israel.
“Lebanon now faces only two options: either the Lebanese government takes real action and restrains Hezbollah, or Israel uses its force to dismantle this terrorist organisation,” Mr Danon said. “There is no other option.
“Hezbollah is not attacking Israel to protect Lebanon or to protect Lebanese citizens. It is acting to serve the Iranian regime's agenda.”
Mr Danon added that Israel had submitted hundreds of enforcement requests to the Lebanese army since the November 2024 ceasefire, urging it to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
“We warned Lebanon 929 times,” he said. “The terrorist infrastructure remained in the area and the missiles were again fired at Israeli citizens.”
US ambassador Mike Waltz welcomed the March 2 decision by Lebanon to prohibit the military and security activities of Hezbollah, calling it a “historic milestone” towards “ending Hezbollah’s long and destructive influence in Lebanon”.
“Now is the time for the government of Lebanon to take back control of the entirety of its country,” he said. “We urge our friends in Lebanon to not let this moment slip away. Our message is clear: take your country back.”
