Aoun outlined these conditions during a dinner hosted by the Lebanese ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh-Mawad, in honor of the president and his delegation, attended by members of Congress and U.S. officials.
The meeting took place on the final day of his official visit to the United States, during which he held talks with President Donald Trump, according to a statement released by the Lebanese Presidency.
“Is Hezbollah’s disarmament really possible? Yes, but only if we are honest about what is truly required,” the head of state told the attendees.
Aoun explained that Hezbollah is not a foreign mercenary force but an organization composed of Lebanese citizens who, over more than four decades, underwent extensive ideological, social, and military training, eventually becoming an armed group operating outside government control.
In his view, this reality does not diminish the urgency of centralizing weapons under state authority, but it necessitates special attention to the method used to achieve that goal.
The president cited as reference points the processes carried out with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Irish Republican Army (IRA), which were based on disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration.
He noted that the process must begin with the elimination of the primary reason cited by Hezbollah to justify possessing weapons: the Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory.
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