BEIRUT, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Monday that Lebanon has been taking steps "calmly and responsibly" to ensure the exclusive state control of arms.
"The process of ensuring the state's exclusive control of arms is being conducted with a high sense of national responsibility to safeguard civil peace," Aoun told a visiting delegation from the French Senate at the Baabda Palace, according to a report by state-run National News Agency.
"A return to the language of war is prohibited -- a message clearly communicated to all concerned parties -- and this is a unified Lebanese demand," Aoun said.
He said Israel's refusal to withdraw from five hilltops along the Lebanese border makes the state unable "to exercise its authority over its territory fully" and "hampers stability along the border."
Aoun also noted that Lebanon and Syria have maintained communication "to coordinate and avoid any security incidents at the border."
Since Nov. 27, 2024, a ceasefire brokered by the United States and France has been in effect between Hezbollah and Israel, bringing an end to more than a year of clashes triggered by the conflict in Gaza.
Despite the truce, the Israeli army continues to carry out near-daily strikes in Lebanon, claiming to be targeting Hezbollah "threats." It has also maintained its presence on five hilltops along the Lebanese border, in violation of the agreement. ■
