US backs Lebanon’s authority over war, peace decisions

The US Embassy in Beirut said on Thursday that decisions on war and peace should rest exclusively with the Lebanese state, voicing support for the government’s efforts to assert sovereignty through the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).

“Every day, the Lebanese people make it clear they prefer Lebanese state institutions over Hizballah’s weapons,” the embassy said in a statement on US media company X.

The embassy said southern Lebanon “does not belong to regional actors or militias” and expressed support for the Lebanese government’s stated goal of asserting sovereignty in the area.

It said the Lebanese army should enforce that sovereignty and ensure that “decisions of war and peace lie exclusively with the Lebanese state.”

The mission added that Washington “applauds” communities in southern Lebanon for favoring Lebanese state institutions over Hezbollah’s weapons.

The statement comes amid ongoing US-sponsored negotiations between Lebanon and Israel over Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the disarmament of non-state armed groups.

This week, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji said at 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.

Lebanon and Israel have held seven rounds of direct negotiations under US sponsorship. The first five rounds were held in Washington, culminating in a 14-point framework agreement signed on June 26, while the sixth and seventh took place in Rome.

The latest round concluded on Aug. 6 after three days of talks covering military, political, legal and border issues, as well as prisoners.

The framework 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.

Israel has continued its attacks on Lebanon, which it started in early March after Hezbollah's retaliation to the Iran war, despite the framework agreement. According to figures released by the Lebanese Health Ministry in late August, the attacks have killed more than 4,000 people and injured over 12,000.