The government has ordered the Iranian-backed militant group to surrender its weapons

The Lebanese government has outlawed all security and military activities of Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has announced.

Salam has called for Hezbollah to hand over its weapons to the state and said the Lebanese Army would immediately start implementing its plan to disarm the group.

Explaining the ban, the prime minister pointed to an overnight missile launch into northern Israel claimed by Hezbollah. He stated that the act directly contradicted the country's rejection of being "dragged into the ongoing regional war," while asserting "the state's monopoly on the use of force."

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