Lebanese foreign minister urges Gulf states to help restore country's sovereignty

In this context, sovereignty means Lebanon’s government exercising effective authority across the country. It includes controlling weapons, protecting borders, and making decisions about war and peace through legitimate state institutions. Rajji presented this as essential to Lebanon’s stability and its relations with Arab countries.

The government has adopted decisions aimed at placing all weapons under state authority and banning Hezbollah’s military and security activities. Rajji also called for a complete Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territories, an end to ongoing attacks, and full implementation of Resolution 1701.

The issue remains tied to regional security. Rajji said Lebanon would not allow its territory to be used against Arab states or as a bargaining tool in negotiations outside Lebanon. He urged Gulf support and proposed a broader Arab partnership based on strong, sovereign states.

Rajji’s requests combine territorial, security, and political demands. He called for a complete Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territories, an end to ongoing attacks, and the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. Together, these measures are intended to protect Lebanon’s territory and reinforce state authority.

He also described government decisions under President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. Those decisions aim to place all weapons under state control and ban Hezbollah’s military and security activities. The mechanism is direct: decisions about force and security would move from armed groups to Lebanon’s legitimate institutions.

Rajji linked these demands to regional diplomacy. He asked Gulf states to support Lebanon’s sovereignty and reaffirmed solidarity with Bahrain and other Gulf countries. He also called for an Arab strategic partnership to address threats affecting the Gulf, Red Sea, and Eastern Mediterranean.

Hezbollah is a Lebanese political and armed organisation. Its military and security role has operated separately from the Lebanese government’s exclusive control. That makes it central to the sovereignty debate: a state cannot fully control security decisions if another organisation can maintain weapons or conduct military activities independently.

The article says Lebanon’s government has adopted decisions aimed at placing all weapons under state authority and banning Hezbollah’s military and security activities. Rajji described this as part of a broader effort to reassert state control. He also rejected the use of armed groups as instruments of foreign influence.

This dispute affects both domestic stability and regional relations. Rajji said Lebanon had suffered from wars it never chose and would no longer let its territory be used against Arab countries. The article presents stronger state authority as the proposed path forward, but does not describe implementation details or Hezbollah’s response.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701 is a resolution adopted in 2006 to help end the Israel-Hezbollah war and establish security arrangements in southern Lebanon. It called for an end to hostilities and supported the extension of Lebanese state authority, with international peacekeeping assistance. These elements make it relevant to sovereignty and border security.

The article does not explain the resolution’s individual provisions. It states only that Rajji demanded its full implementation, together with a complete Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territories and an end to ongoing attacks. These demands connect the resolution to both military activity and Lebanon’s control over its territory.

Its current importance is therefore practical and political. Implementing the resolution would, in Rajji’s view, support Lebanon’s stability and state authority. It would also address wider regional tensions involving Israel, Hezbollah, Gulf states, the Red Sea, and the Eastern Mediterranean. The article gives no timetable for implementation.

The Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC, is a regional organisation made up of six countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The article specifically names Bahrain and refers to other Gulf states. Their shared position can carry more diplomatic weight than separate national statements.

Rajji asked Gulf states to support efforts to restore Lebanon’s sovereignty. He also expressed solidarity with Bahrain and other Gulf countries against Iranian attacks and attacks by armed groups linked to Tehran. Collective support could therefore reinforce Lebanon’s effort to keep its territory from being used against Arab states.

Such backing might improve Lebanon’s regional relationships and support its government’s authority. It could also encourage cooperation on security issues connecting the Gulf, Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, and Eastern Mediterranean. The article does not promise specific Gulf measures, so the form and impact of support remain uncertain.

When armed groups make security decisions outside government control, the state cannot fully manage its territory or determine when force is used. This can weaken public institutions and make national policy harder to coordinate. Rajji presented restoring state authority as essential to Lebanon’s stability and its relationships with Arab countries.

The article gives a direct example of the risk. Rajji said Lebanon would no longer allow its territory to be used against Arab countries or as a bargaining chip in negotiations conducted beyond its borders. He also said the Lebanese people had paid a heavy price for wars they had never chosen to fight.

Continued independent armed activity could therefore deepen domestic insecurity and damage trust with Gulf and other Arab states. Rajji’s proposed response is exclusive institutional authority over war and peace, backed by an Arab strategic partnership. The article does not predict a specific outcome or timeline.

Modern states place decisions about war and peace in legitimate government institutions because those choices affect the whole population. They involve national security, territory, public resources, diplomacy, and the lives of citizens. Central authority also creates a clear body responsible for explaining, coordinating, and answering for those decisions.

The article applies this principle to Lebanon. Rajji called for an Arab partnership built around sovereign states whose legitimate institutions retain exclusive authority over war and peace. He also opposed countries pursuing regional ambitions through armed groups outside state authority, saying Lebanon had suffered the consequences.

The intended result is greater stability and clearer regional relations. If one government controls armed force, it can prevent its territory from becoming a bargaining tool or a platform for attacks on neighbours. Rajji linked this authority to Lebanon’s sovereignty, Gulf security, and the wider security connection between the Red Sea and Eastern Mediterranean.