Lebanese president says Israeli withdrawal would help end armed presence outside state control

President Joseph Aoun said Tuesday that an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory would enable the state to extend its authority across the country and remove the justification for any weapons outside state control, according to a statement from the Lebanese presidency, Anadolu reports. Aoun made the remarks during a meeting with a European parliamentary delegation led by French lawmaker Arnaud Le Gall, head of the French-Lebanese Friendship Committee. “Israel’s withdrawal would allow Lebanon to extend its authority, end armed manifestations and remove any justification for the existence of weapons other than those of the state,” said Aoun. He stressed the need for a political, military, economic and social approach to Hezbollah’s weapons to preserve the political, security and social stability […]