Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said national security must not be monopolized by any group and that the only arms protecting the country’s territory are those of the legitimate state. Aoun said security was a shared national responsibility.
Aoun made the remarks ahead of the 48th anniversary of Musa Sadr’s disappearance. The Lebanese president said Sadr’s ideas, project and message could not be eliminated, and called for the full truth about the fate of Sadr and the two people accompanying him to be uncovered.
Diplomatic and legal process on the Musa Sadr case
Joseph Aoun said the case would continue to be pursued at the bilateral and international levels and that all available diplomatic and legal channels would be used.
Lebanon’s Shia community holds Libya’s former leader Muammar Gaddafi responsible for the abduction of Musa Sadr, Sheikh Muhammad Yaqub and journalist Abbas Badr al-Din during their visit to Libya on August 25, 1978. The Gaddafi government denied the accusation and claimed that the three men had gone to Italy.
Sadr and his two companions were seen in Libya. The three Lebanese nationals were last seen together on the 31st of the same month, after which their whereabouts became unknown. The fate of the three men remains unknown.
Call for state responsibility in southern Lebanon
Aoun said Musa Sadr believed the south should not be turned into a forgotten region or a bargaining tool. He recalled Sadr’s call for the Lebanese state to fully assume its responsibility to protect the south and its people.
The Lebanese president also said that Israeli attacks and ceasefire violations were continuing. Aoun said the people of the region were paying the price and resisting every day.
The speech came as Israeli attacks on villages and towns in southern Lebanon continued. Tensions in the region remain high despite an agreement between Beirut and Tel Aviv, reached through US-brokered negotiations, that provides for the phased withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Toll from the attacks in Lebanon
Lebanese authorities say Israel has continued its attacks on the country since March 2, 2026. The same authorities say the attacks have killed 4,352 people, injured 12,318 and displaced more than 1 million.
Israel controls several areas in southern Lebanon, some for decades and others since the war of 2023-2024. Israel has expanded the areas under its control in Lebanese territory during the latest attacks.
