Beirut: Lebanon’s Cabinet on Thursday instructed the army to immediately begin enforcing state control over weapons in the capital Beirut and limit arms possession to official security forces. The Cabinet also decided to file an urgent complaint with the UN Security Council over Israeli attacks on the country.

According to Anadolu Agency, the session took place at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, under the chairmanship of President Joseph Aoun and in the presence of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. Information Minister Paul Morcos conveyed the decisions at a press conference following the meeting. During the session, Salam emphasized that the decision was made “to preserve the safety, security, and property of citizens.”

Salam instructed the army and security forces to immediately begin reinforcing the state’s full control over the Beirut governorate and bring all weapons under the legitimate security forces only. On January 8, the Lebanese army stated that its plan to restrict weapons had “achieved the objectives of its first phase south of the Litani River in southern Lebanon and entered an advanced stage.” However, it warned that Israeli attacks and the occupation of Lebanese territory were hindering progress.

Hezbollah has consistently maintained it will not surrender its weapons while the Israeli occupation continues. Salam further noted that the government decided to file an urgent complaint with the UN Security Council against Israel in light of its attacks on Lebanon.

At the start of the session, Aoun expressed Lebanon’s fatigue with mere statements of condemnation, regretting that the country was not included in the ceasefire announced between the United States and Iran, despite prior expectations.

Israeli airstrikes struck wide areas of Beirut on Wednesday, targeting residential neighborhoods with a Sunni majority and raising fears of high civilian casualties. This escalation followed the announcement by the US and Iran of a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday, brokered by Pakistan, as a step toward a potential broader agreement to halt a conflict initiated by Washington and Tel Aviv against Tehran on February 28, which has resulted in thousands of casualties.

While Islamabad and Tehran claimed the ceasefire included Lebanon, Washington and Tel Aviv denied it, leading to a wave of Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday that killed 254 people and wounded 1,165 others, according to Lebanon’s Civil Defense. The expanded Israeli offensive on Lebanon since March 2 has resulted in 1,739 deaths and 5,873 injuries, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.