Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun informed the head of U.S. forces in the Middle East that Beirut intends to assert full sovereignty over its territory, with the army slated for deployment along the entirety of the border with Israel.
The declaration was made during a meeting between President Aoun and Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command. The discussions centered on the recent U.S.-brokered agreement between Israel and Lebanon, which aims to establish a peace accord. Admiral Cooper also held separate discussions with Lebanese Army Chief Rodolphe Haykal, addressing regional and Lebanese developments, according to an army statement.
A key provision of the Washington agreement mandates the disarmament of Hezbollah, a responsibility that will fall upon the Lebanese army. Israeli officials have stated that their forces will maintain their presence in southern Lebanon until this disarmament is verified. Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group, has strongly opposed the agreement, with its leaders warning of potential internal conflict if the terms are imposed.
The agreement obliges Lebanon to re-establish sovereignty through the "verified disarmament of non-state armed groups and dismantlement of associated infrastructure," facilitating a phased Israeli withdrawal. The U.S. State Department indicated that the specifics of this process would be detailed in a Security Annex, developed with U.S. support. Concurrently, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a $30 million reimbursement for the Lebanese army to enhance its capabilities.
Hezbollah has dismissed the agreement as invalid and instead called for the implementation of a U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding to de-escalate regional conflict. The talks in Washington were intended to decouple Lebanon from broader Iran-related agreements. However, the recent accord followed a period of reduced hostilities after the U.S.-Iran memorandum, which Tehran insisted should encompass Lebanon.
Hezbollah issued a statement on Monday asserting its right to self-defense, citing recent Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon as a "blatant violation of the ceasefire." Israeli troops currently occupy a self-declared "security zone" extending approximately ten kilometers into Lebanese territory along the border. Lebanese authorities report that Israeli attacks since March 2 have resulted in over 4,200 fatalities.
