Lebanon’s Cabinet on Thursday ordered the army and security forces to reinforce State authority across Beirut and restrict all weapons to legitimate institutions, in a move reflecting mounting pressure on the government to contain spiraling violence and reassert control amid a widening war between Israel and Hezbollah.

The decision came after a Cabinet session chaired by President Joseph Aoun at Baabda Palace.

“In line with the Taif Agreement and government decisions, and in order to safeguard the safety, security and property of citizens, the army and security forces are requested to immediately begin reinforcing the full authority of the State across Beirut Governorate and to limit weapons exclusively to legitimate forces,” Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said following the session.

He added that the government had also decided to file an urgent complaint with the United Nations Security Council over Israel’s ongoing attacks on Lebanon.

Information Minister Paul Morcos said the health and labor ministers, both affiliated with Hezbollah, had formally objected to the proposal to designate Beirut as a “demilitarized zone.”

The move follows a dramatic escalation in hostilities, including one of the deadliest Israeli bombardments of Beirut in recent weeks. Israeli airstrikes on April 8 killed scores of people and wounded hundreds, part of a broader campaign targeting Hezbollah positions that has inflicted heavy civilian casualties and strained already fragile infrastructure.

The conflict, which intensified after Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel in early March, has displaced more than one million people and heightened fears of internal instability.

Against this backdrop, Lebanese authorities have come under increasing domestic and international pressure to assert a monopoly over arms and prevent the country from being drawn deeper into a regional war.

The Cabinet’s latest directive builds on a series of unprecedented steps taken in recent weeks. On March 2, the government formally banned all military and security activities by Hezbollah, declaring that decisions of war and peace rest solely with the state and ordering the group to hand over its weapons. 

Officials have since reiterated plans to “reclaim authority” and extend State control across all Lebanese territory, part of a broader effort to end the long-standing reality of armed groups operating outside government oversight.

Hezbollah, however, has rejected calls to disarm, arguing that its weapons are essential for defending Lebanon against Israel, setting the stage for a deepening political confrontation within the country. 

Meanwhile, rising sectarian tensions and displacement have fueled concerns that Lebanon could slide into renewed internal conflict, particularly as communities grow increasingly divided over Hezbollah’s role in the war.