Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun called on the United States to pressure Israel to let the Lebanese Government handle the disarmament of Hezbollah through negotiations, not force. Aoun stated that the Lebanese government has decided that weapons will only be in the hands of the state, but discussions are ongoing on how to implement this decision. He also mentioned that Hezbollah will not be absorbed into the Lebanese armed forces as an independent unit, but its operatives can join the army and undergo training. Aoun expressed that the continued deployment of IDF forces in South Lebanon helps Hezbollah and that he wants to remove Hezbollah's weapons without igniting a civil war in Lebanon.