Lebanese president urges Palestinians to comply with state monopoly on arms

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Friday stressed the importance of Palestinians in Lebanon complying with a government decision to place weapons solely under state authority and cooperating with Lebanese security agencies.

Aoun made the remarks during a meeting with a Palestinian delegation headed by Yasser Abbas, the special representative of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and a member of Fatah's Central Committee, at the presidential palace in Beirut, according to a statement from Aoun's media office.

The president stressed "the importance of the Palestinian side's commitment to the decision on the exclusivity of weapons, cooperation with Lebanese security agencies and implementation of the steps taken by the Cabinet in this regard," the statement said.

He also underlined "the importance of prioritizing the diplomatic option" and completing Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue through a committee formed by the Cabinet.

"The Palestinian delegation reviewed the situation of Palestinians in Lebanon and the need to complete the implementation of the Lebanese-Palestinian understanding on handing over weapons inside the camps to the Lebanese army," the statement added.

The delegation also discussed developments in the occupied West Bank and the suffering of Palestinians due to continued Israeli attacks and an economic blockade imposed on the territory.

On Dec. 30, 2025, the fifth batch of weapons was handed over from Palestinian camps south of the Litani River as part of a gradual process aimed at ending the Palestinian weapons file entirely, according to the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee.

The first batch of weapons from Palestinian camps was handed over on Aug. 21, 2025, at Burj al-Barajneh camp in Beirut's southern suburbs.

On Aug. 5, 2025, Lebanon's Cabinet approved placing all weapons, including those held by Hezbollah, under state authority and tasked the army with preparing a plan by the end of that month and implementing it before the end of 2025.

On Jan. 8, the Lebanese army said its plan to restrict weapons to state authority "achieved the objectives of its first phase south of the Litani River and entered an advanced stage," while warning that Israeli attacks and the occupation of Lebanese sites "negatively affect" its completion.