Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun called on Hezbollah and other political parties on Thursday to hand over their weapons to the army, a move the powerful militant group is resisting as Washington ramps up pressures for it to remove its arsenal.

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

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has firmly declared his determination to disarm Hezbollah and hand over all weapons to the national army. His decision comes amid growing pressure from the United States and continuous Israeli airstrikes.