Lebanon Government Formally Bans Hezbollah Military Wing — Unprecedented Step

The Lebanese government took unprecedented steps to formally classify Hezbollah's military wing as illegal, move to ban its military activities, and communicate this position to the United Nations. Lebanese PM Nawaf Salam stated that IRGC was actively directing Hezbollah operations, and condemned Iran's use of Lebanese territory as a battlefront. The Lebanese government condemned Hezbollah for attacking without state authorization and expelled the Iranian ambassador (though he remained in-country at Hezbollah's request). The steps reflect Lebanon's attempt to extricate itself from the conflict and potentially open a path to Hezbollah disarmament under a ceasefire framework — a key Israeli demand. Hezbollah continued operations regardless, having conducted 1,388 attack waves against Israel since March 2.