Lebanon determined to disarm Hizbollah, says Aoun

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Thursday that he was determined to disarm Hizbollah, a step it has come under heavy US pressure to take, despite the group's protests that doing so would serve Israeli goals.

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Hizbollah and Israel fought a two-month war last year that left the group badly weakened, though it retains part of its arsenal.

Israel has kept up its air strikes on Hizbollah targets despite a November ceasefire, and has threatened to continue them until the group has been disarmed.

In a speech on Thursday, Aoun said Beirut was demanding “the extension of the Lebanese state's authority over all its territory, the removal of weapons from all armed groups including Hizbollah and their handover to the Lebanese army”.