Lebanon10 September, 20263 min read
U.S. Embassy In Beirut Says War And Peace Decisions Belong Exclusively To Lebanon
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US Embassy says decisions on war and peace rest exclusively with the Lebanese state. Southern Lebanon does not belong to Hezbollah or militias; sovereignty to be enforced.
7 outlets told this the same way.
Anadolu Ajansı was read line by line by the Watchdog: 2.9. See the score →
US backs Lebanese sovereignty
The U.S. Embassy in Beirut said on Thursday that decisions on war and peace should rest exclusively with the Lebanese state, backing the government’s efforts to assert sovereignty through the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).
In a statement posted on US media company X, the embassy said, “Every day, the Lebanese people make it clear they prefer Lebanese state institutions over Hizballah’s weapons,” and it added that southern Lebanon “does not belong to regional actors or militias.”
The embassy framed the Lebanese army as the instrument to enforce sovereignty and ensure that “decisions of war and peace lie exclusively with the Lebanese state.”
The statement arrived as Lebanon and Israel continued US-sponsored negotiations over Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the disarmament of non-state armed groups, with seven rounds held under US sponsorship and a 14-point framework agreement signed on June 26.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji told the 166th session of the Arab League Council in Cairo that US-sponsored negotiations were the “most effective way” to halt Israeli attacks and compel Israel to withdraw behind internationally recognized borders.
Hezbollah weapons and army
Lebanon’s political and military balance of power is at the center of the embassy’s message, which places territorial sovereignty and the army’s role at the core while explicitly targeting Hezbollah’s weapons and control of southern Lebanon.
The Libnanews account says Washington’s wording makes the South a focal point, stating that southern Lebanon “does not belong to regional actors or militias,” and it describes the embassy’s support for the Lebanese army as the mechanism for extending state authority.
In the same reporting, the Lebanese army’s Wednesday statement accused Israel of intensified strikes and said continued attacks “threaten existing understandings and arrangements, and hinder the army's efforts to establish stability.”
Naharnet also described the U.S. Embassy’s X post as saying the Lebanese do not want Hezbollah to be armed and that south Lebanon “does not belong” to the Iran-backed group.
The Anadolu Ajansı report added that Israel has continued its attacks on Lebanon since early March, despite the June 26 framework agreement, and it cited Lebanese Health Ministry figures saying the attacks have killed more than 4,000 people and injured over 12,000.
Negotiations and escalation
The embassy’s call for exclusive state control over war and peace comes as the sources describe a deteriorating security situation in southern Lebanon and renewed Israeli operations in the area.
Libnanews reported that in recent days Israel “significantly intensified its operations in southern Lebanon,” and it said bombardments on Kfar Remmane in the Nabatieh area killed at least twelve people, including two children and four women, according to Lebanese authorities.
The same account said Hezbollah conducted several drone attacks against Israeli forces and that the confrontation focused around the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge near Nabatieh, where the Israeli army announced in early September that it had taken operational control of the area and neutralized fighters and an underground network.
In parallel, the U.S. Embassy statement emphasized that Washington “applauds” communities in southern Lebanon for favoring Lebanese state institutions over Hezbollah’s weapons and supported the government’s stated goal of asserting sovereignty in the area.
Anadolu Ajansı said the framework agreement provides for a phased Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory alongside the deployment of the Lebanese army and the disarmament of non-state armed groups, while also noting that Israel continued attacks despite the framework agreement.