No Sovereignty with Dual Weapons: Lebanese Foreign Minister Demands Iran Stop Arming Hezbollah

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Youssef Rajji participated in the work of the 52nd session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, held in Iraq. In Lebanon's address to the Council, Minister Rajji issued an appeal to Iran and its affiliated arms, calling on them to stop their attacks on the Gulf Cooperation Council states and Jordan, while reaffirming Lebanon's full solidarity with these countries. He affirmed Lebanon's commitment to UN Security Council Resolution 2817, which calls for the immediate cessation of these attacks, and stressed the rejection of any restrictions on freedom of transit through international waterways, particularly the Straits of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb.

Regarding the issue of weapons, he stated: "The government took a decisive decision in August 2025 to restrict weapons exclusively to legitimate security agencies, and to extend state authority over all its territories solely by its own forces, believing that there is no sovereignty with the duality of weapons, no stability with a rogue decision outside state institutions, and no sustainable development except under a strong and capable state." He added that, despite repeated warnings about the risks of dragging Lebanon into futile wars, Hezbollah proceeded to drag it into two devastating wars with Israel, in October 2023 and March 2026.

Rajji paused at the "glorious" war launched by Israel, which led to the occupation of large parts of Lebanese territory, renewing the condemnation of its successive attacks on Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and considering that these violations constitute a breach of international law and international humanitarian law. At the same time, he demanded that Iran "stop its interventions in Lebanese internal affairs, its challenges to the decisions of the Lebanese government, and its supply of weapons and funds to Hezbollah."

In his speech before the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Minister Rajji renewed adherence to Resolution 1701, which he said remains the broadest framework for dealing with the requirements of the current phase, alongside the 2024 declaration of cessation of hostilities, the 1949 armistice agreement, as well as the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002.

Starting from the government's conviction in the importance of dialogue and diplomatic solutions, he indicated at the end of his speech the tripartite framework agreed upon with the United States and Israel, confirming that it "will lead to the complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, the return of displaced persons to their villages, the launch of the reconstruction process, the release of prisoners, as well as the disarmament of all armed groups, restricting weapons exclusively to legitimate Lebanese agencies, and extending state authority over all its territories solely by its own forces."