Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Friday the army has dismantled several Palestinian camps affiliated with Hezbollah or Iran, in addition to conducting more than 250 weapons confiscation operations on arms caches in tunnels south of the Litani River in southern Lebanon.
Aoun's remarks came in an interview with the French newspaper, Le Figaro, during his visit to Paris where he met French President Emmanuel Macron, according to a statement by the Lebanese presidency.
"The Lebanese army has indeed dismantled several Palestinian camps loyal to Hezbollah or Iran; one near Beirut, two north toward Tripoli, and three in the Bekaa Valley," Aoun said in response to a question on whether the disarmament of Hezbollah had truly begun.
He noted that the army "has so far carried out more than 250 weapons seizures or operations against arms depots in tunnels south of the Litani River."
"Part of the confiscated arsenal is being destroyed, but if the seized weapons are serviceable, they are handed over to the army," he said.
Anon reaffirmed Lebanon's "full commitment to implementing UN Security Council resolution 1701," which calls for a complete cessation of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel.
Resolution 1701, passed in 2006, calls for a complete halt to hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel and the establishment of a weapons-free zone between the Blue Line, a de facto border, and the Litani River in southern Lebanon, with exceptions for the Lebanese army and the UN peacekeeping mission (UNIFIL).
Despite Israeli violations of an Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, Aoun told the French newspaper that his country will continue to work on the diplomatic level with France, the US and the international community to address Israel's violations.
On another topic, Aoun replied to a question on flights between Beirut and Tehran by saying that "flights won't be resumed at the current time but maybe one day."
A fragile ceasefire had been in place in Lebanon since November, ending months of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah, which escalated into a full-scale conflict in September.
Lebanese authorities reported more than 1,250 Israeli violations of the ceasefire, including at least 100 fatalities and more than 330 injuries.
Under the ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after it refused to comply. It still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.