The Daily Populous Wednesday December 24th, 2025 day edition
Authored by ynetnews.com and submitted by Cannot-Forget

Lebanon’s foreign minister, Youssef Rajji, said Tuesday that there is no chance of amending the law banning normalization with Israel, stressing that Lebanon is “officially at war” with the Jewish state.

“There is no possibility of correcting the law that prohibits normalization with Israel. We are formally in a state of war,” Rajji said, speaking amid denials in Lebanon that a Hezbollah terrorist killed in an Israeli strike this week also served in Lebanese army intelligence.

2 View gallery Lebanon’s foreign minister, Youssef Rajji ( Photo: Reuters/Alaa Al Sukhni )

At the same time, Rajji said Lebanon also faces a serious problem with Iran. “Iran is not our enemy, but we have deep issues with it,” he said. “The Iranians are directly involved in arming and financing an illegal armed organization in our country.”

Rajji said Lebanon seeks peace with all countries, provided its sovereignty is respected and there is no interference in its internal affairs. He added that it is premature to speak about rebuilding the country because the war has not yet ended.

Addressing the issue of disarming Hezbollah, Rajji said Lebanon wants to see it happen. “The security of the state requires dismantling Hezbollah’s security and military arms, not just disarmament,” he said. “The Lebanese people want Hezbollah to be disarmed.”

However, he acknowledged that the Lebanese army faces a difficult task in confronting the group. “Hezbollah’s leaders say there will be no disarmament north of the Litani River,” Rajji said. “Hezbollah uses the confrontation with Israel as an excuse to keep its weapons and preserve its future dominance in the country.”

He accused Hezbollah of attempting to buy time in hopes of a change in the U.S. administration and of trying to extort the Lebanese government by raising the specter of civil war. “That is unacceptable,” he said.

Rajji’s comments came as Lebanese officials denied Israeli claims that a Hezbollah terrorist killed Monday in an airstrike near Sidon was also serving in the Lebanese army. Lebanon’s Defense Ministry accused media outlets of waging an attack against the army and undermining the loyalty of its soldiers.

2 View gallery Three Hezbollah eliminated in an Israeli airstrike on Monday ( Photo: IDF )

Defense Minister Michel Menassa said suggestions that army personnel are linked to political or armed groups amount to a “malicious attack” on the institution and serve Lebanon’s enemies.

Meanwhile, Lebanese army commander Rudolph Haikal said the military is close to completing the first phase of its deployment plan in southern Lebanon and is assessing the requirements for subsequent stages based on conditions on the ground.

Earlier Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces said the airstrike killed Ali Abdullah, a Hezbollah terrorist who the IDF said also served in Lebanese army intelligence. Two additional Hezbollah operatives were killed in the strike: Mustafa Balout, whom Israel identified as active in Hezbollah’s air defense network in the Sidon area, and Hassan Hamdan.

unruly_mattress on December 24th, 2025 at 09:52 UTC »

Arab countries are allowed to be at war with Israel, but Israel isn't allowed to be at war with them back. That would be genocide.

indifferentcabbage on December 24th, 2025 at 08:15 UTC »

Not able to control terror org operating openly in their country even with repeated warnings and detail shared with their govt. When Israel had enough and took action on them, now they start crying. Hope Lebanon dont face same fate as Gaza turning into rubbles

Cannot-Forget on December 24th, 2025 at 08:06 UTC »

Lebanon's foreign minister publicly ruled out any normalization with Israel and stressed that Lebanon itself, not just Hezbollah, is "Officially at war" with Israel.

That is notable because it places responsibility on the Lebanese state, even while the same government complains internationally about Israeli military strikes.

At the same time, he openly criticized Hezbollah, said the Lebanese public wants it dismantled, and accused Iran of arming and financing an illegal force inside Lebanon. He also admitted Hezbollah is using the conflict with Israel to justify keeping its weapons and to pressure the government.

The contradiction is clear. If Lebanon insists it is formally at war and refuses normalization, then Israeli attacks are part of an active conflict, not unprovoked aggression.

Claiming the status of a warring state while condemning Israel for acting like one makes Lebanon's constant whining about Israeli strikes sound hollow and hypocritical.