Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc on Tuesday gave its support to Lebanon's new government, which in a ministerial statement ahead of a confidence vote vowed a state monopoly on arms and the country's neutrality.
"We give our confidence to the government," said Mohammed Raad, the head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, expressing hope the new administration would "succeed in opening the doors to real rescue for the country", AFP reported.
"We are keen on cooperating to the greatest extent to preserve national sovereignty and its stability and achieve reforms and take the state forward," Raad told a two-day parliamentary session that began on Tuesday and will culminate in a vote of confidence in the new government.
The ministerial statement, an outline of the new government's work plan that was read out by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, vowed to extend "state sovereignty across all its territories exclusively with its own forces".
It also committed to deploy the army "in internationally recognized Lebanese border areas", and emphasized the need to work to implement a commitment by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on "the state's duty in monopolising the bearing of weapons" and "deciding on war and peace".
The ministerial statement noted the need to take "all the necessary steps to liberate all Lebanese territories from Israeli occupation".
Israel has maintained its troops in five "strategic" points along the shared border despite the ceasefire deal requiring its forces to withdraw completely.
Raad said the aim of the latest war was "to finish with Hezbollah... and end its resistance presence" against Israel, adding, "That attempt failed".
The new government has pledged to create a fund for rebuilding damaged and destroyed areas and is hoping for foreign assistance with the reconstruction effort, with the country mired in a five-year economic crisis.
The ministerial statement also pledged to adopt a "foreign policy that works to make Lebanon neutral from axis conflicts" and ensure "Lebanon is not used as a platform for attacking" Arab and friendly countries.
