The Lebanese government charges the army with enforcing the states monopoly on weapons in Beirut.

AA / Beirut – Istanbul / Wassim Samih Seifeddine

The Lebanese Cabinet ordered on Thursday the army to immediately begin enforcing the state’s control over weapons in the capital Beirut, limiting their possession to only official security forces.

The government also decided to file an urgent complaint with the UN Security Council against Israeli attacks on the country.

The session took place at the Baabda presidential palace, east of Beirut, under the chairmanship of Joseph Aoun and in the presence of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, as stated by Information Minister Paul Morcos during a press conference.

Salam clarified that this decision aimed to “preserve the security, safety, and property of citizens”.

He added that he had “instructed the army and security forces to immediately strengthen the total control of the state over the governorate of Beirut and bring all weapons under the exclusive control of legitimate security forces”.

On January 8, the Lebanese army had indicated that its plan to restrict weapons had “achieved the objectives of its first phase south of the Litani River in southern Lebanon and had entered an advanced phase”, but warned that Israeli attacks and the occupation of Lebanese territories were hindering progress.

Hezbollah has reiterated that it will not surrender its weapons as long as the Israeli occupation continues.

Salam added that the government “decided to file an urgent complaint with the UN Security Council against Israel, due to its attacks on Lebanon”.

At the beginning of the session, Aoun declared that Lebanon was “fed up with mere condemnation statements”, regretting that the country was not included in the ceasefire announced between the United States and Iran, despite expectations in this regard.

Israeli air strikes hit wide areas of Beirut on Wednesday, targeting predominantly Sunni residential neighborhoods and raising fears of heavy civilian casualties.

This escalation followed Tuesday’s announcement by the United States and Iran of a two-week ceasefire, negotiated by Pakistan, as a step towards a possible broader agreement to end the conflict initiated on February 28 by Washington and Tel Aviv against Tehran, which has already claimed thousands of lives and injuries.

While Islamabad and Tehran indicated that the ceasefire included Lebanon, Washington and Tel Aviv denied it, and the Israeli army launched a wave of air strikes on Wednesday, killing 254 people and injuring 1,165 others, according to the Lebanese Civil Defense.

Since March 2, the expanded Israeli offensive in Lebanon has resulted in 1,739 deaths and 5,873 injuries, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

*Translated from English by Ayse Bashoruz