In a position that is remarkable in its content and timing, coinciding with the start of the parliamentary elections, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, highlighted in his semi-annual report on Resolution 1559, the weapons of Hezbollah, which he described as outside the authority of the state and in violation of Security Council resolutions.

Guterres used the term “militia” to speak of Hezbollah and said: “The Hezbollah militia’s maintenance of large and sophisticated military capabilities outside the control of the Lebanese government remains a matter of grave concern.” He also called on the countries of the region with close relations with Hezbollah to encourage the militia to disarm until it turns into a civilian political party only.

In his report, which comes about five months after his visit to Lebanon, Guterres touched on the issue of the Beirut Port explosion, criticized the lack of accountability for any party or person so far, and reiterated his call for a prompt, impartial and comprehensive investigation, stressed the need to respect the independence of the judiciary, and called for parliamentary elections to be free and transparent and fair on May 15th.