Boulos says ceasefire agreement covers entire Lebanon, not only area south of Litani

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s Senior Adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern Affairs, Massad Boulos, has described the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire as “a historic agreement for both countries, the importance of which will be measured in the weeks and months to come.”

“It is very comprehensive and covers all the necessary points,” Boulos added, in an interview with French magazine Le Point.

“There was a misunderstanding at the beginning, especially in Lebanon, where it was believed that this document only covered the region south of the Litani River, but this is not true at all. It deals with the entire country, with the disarmament of all armed groups, both militias and paramilitary groups,” Boulos explained.

He added that the text is very specific about the application of U.N. resolutions, whether 1701 or 1559.

“Thus, only a certain number of institutions have the right to hold weapons in Lebanon, including the Lebanese Army, Internal Security Forces, customs services and the municipal police,” Boulos went on to say.

Asked how Hezbollah could be prohibited on the ground from possessing arms, the advisor said: “This is a very good question, which is not an easy one. Let me tell you first that according to some estimates, nearly 70% of strategic weapons and missile and drone depots have been destroyed during this war. As for what remains, it is normally the Lebanese state and therefore the Lebanese Army that has the role of disarming the militias and paramilitary groups. Now, we know very well that this process cannot be achieved overnight, and that it will take months, if not longer.”

He added that the ceasefire agreement adopted by the Lebanese Council of Ministers in any case gives the Lebanese Army full freedom to begin implementing it.

“Under the text, the Lebanese army is also responsible for controlling the flow of weapons from the Syrian border, Beirut airport or the port of the capital, which are now under its control,” Boulos added.

Asked whether the ceasefire agreement still holds after Lebanese authorities denounced numerous violations of the ceasefire by the Israeli army, the advisor said: “Yes, that's true, but we see the same thing on the other side. It's not a surprise. We are currently in a 60-day test period, and the text of the agreement itself talks about the right of each party to defend itself.”

As for the role that the U.S. will play in monitoring the ceasefire agreement, Boulos said that what is very important in this agreement is the monitoring committee responsible for its implementation.

“Within it, the United States and France must verify that all its details are actually implemented on the ground. Because if Resolution 1701 was not implemented at all when it was adopted in 2006, it was precisely because there was no mechanism at the time to ensure its implementation, an error corrected by this agreement,” Boulos added.

He also reiterated to Lebanon’s lawmakers that “there is no need to hurry up and elect just anyone” as president.

“On the contrary, we must try to ensure the participation of the absolute majority of the representatives of the Lebanese people and not obtain the election of a president with only 65 votes,” he said.