Lebanon has stepped up his calls for Hezbollah to disarm on Thursday, suggesting failure to do so would give Israel an excuse to continue attacks, saying the issue would be on the agenda of a cabinet meeting next week.
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun urged Hezbollah and other political factions to hand over their weapons to the national army, a step the powerful Iran-backed group is resisting amid growing pressure from Washington for its disarmament.
Speaking from the defence ministry headquarters in a televised address, Aoun said, “It is the responsibility of all political parties to seize this historic moment and commit to ensuring that only the army and official security forces possess weapons.”
Hezbollah, which suffered significant losses during last year’s conflict with Israel, dismissed the disarmament calls. The group's deputy leader, Sheikh Naim Qassem, said on Wednesday, “Those who demand we hand over our weapons are effectively asking us to surrender to Israel. We will not submit.”
Washington has been urging Lebanon to formally commit, via a cabinet decision, to the disarmament of Hezbollah as a prerequisite for resuming negotiations on halting Israeli military operations in the country, according to five sources cited by Reuters.
Aoun noted that a proposal set to be submitted to the cabinet next week includes provisions for Israel to end its attacks and withdraw from positions it currently holds in southern Lebanon, in parallel with Hezbollah transferring its arsenal to the Lebanese military.
The proposal also outlines a plan to secure $1 billion annually for a decade to strengthen the army and security forces. Additionally, it includes preparations for an international conference later this year to support Lebanon’s reconstruction efforts.
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Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday. A mother and her two 3-year-old children were killed when a Russian drone strike hit a private home, the emergency service said.
Russian authorities have reported attacks on voting systems and communication lines as the country’s parliamentary election entered its second day on Saturday (19 September).
A group of French nationals, suspected of belonging to the Islamic State (IS), on trial in Iraq could face execution, a member of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council told a hearing in Baghdad on Sunday.
Overnight Russian strikes on the city of Sumy, northeast Ukraine, have killed one woman and injured a man, the country's State Emergency Service has said.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has prepared sanctions targeting the entire International Criminal Court (ICC) and could announce them soon, escalating Washington's efforts to pressure the global tribunal.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged closer ties on Sunday as they sought to strengthen cooperation on geopolitical tensions, climate change, energy and the protection of democratic values.
The Left Party won Sunday's Berlin state election with 25.5 per cent of the vote in the preliminary result, ahead of the Christian Democrats (CDU) on 19.1 per cent. This marks a major shift in the city's political landscape and a setback for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's ruling coalition.
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