Lebanon’s government isn’t seeking a confrontation with Hezbollah but won’t be intimidated by the Iran-backed terrorist organization either, the country’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Tuesday during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, as quoted by CNN.
“If I had to summarize in a nutshell the main objective of my government, it would be … to put the state back on its feet," Salam said. “A sovereign state can’t exist without the arms monopoly."
He added that the Lebanese government remains committed to diplomatic talks with Israel during the current 10-day ceasefire. The next round of negotiations between the sides is scheduled for Thursday in Washington, DC.
During those talks, the country is seeking “the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon, a return of Lebanese prisoners … and the return of displaced people back to their homes," Salam said.
Salam’s remarks came after he met with Macron, who committed to assisting the Lebanese government “as much as we can" ahead of their talks with Israel.
Hezbollah’s political bloc has reaffirmed “cautious commitment" to the ceasefire with Israel, which came into effect late last week, but also criticized the Lebanese government for “adopting a path of concessions and submission to the enemy’s will."
Hezbollah’s military wing, meanwhile, violated the ceasefire on Tuesday, firing an unmanned aerial vehicle toward Israeli territory and also opening fire towards IDF troops operating in Lebanese territory.
Despite Salam’s comments about not being intimidated by Hezbollah, the Lebanese government has failed to disarm the terrorist organization, as stipulated in a US-mediated 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
The terrorist group has condemned the Lebanese government's plan to disarm the terror organization and has repeatedly vowed to keep its arms.