Military Space News
WAR REPORT
Lebanon president accuses Hezbollah of working to 'collapse' state

Lebanon president accuses Hezbollah of working to 'collapse' state

by AFP Staff Writers
Beirut, Lebanon (AFP) Mar 9, 2026
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday accused Hezbollah of working to "collapse" the state and expressed Beirut's readiness for "direct negotiations" with Israel, drawing the backing of his Syrian counterpart for his goal of disarming the Iran-backed group.

Lashing out at Hezbollah over its March 2 attack against Israel, which has drawn a devastating Israeli retaliation, Aoun told European officials "Whoever launched those missiles wanted to bring about the collapse of the Lebanese state, plunging it into aggression and chaos... all for the sake of the Iranian regime's calculations".

To stop the war, the Lebanese president proposed a four-point initiative and called on the international community to help implement it.

The plan included "establishing a full truce" with Israel, "logistical support" for the army to disarm Hezbollah, and "direct negotiations (with Israel) under international auspices".

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa endorsed his Lebanese counterpart on Monday saying, "We stand alongside Lebanese president Joseph Aoun in disarming Hezbollah".

The statements came as the war between Israel and Hezbollah pushed into a second week, with Israel carrying out heavy strikes on a financial firm linked to the group.

Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war last week when Iran-backed Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes.

Lebanese authorities said on Monday that Israel's attacks since March 2 have killed at least 486 people and wounded at least 1,313.

AFP has not been able to carry out a detailed breakdown of the figures.

According to the government, more than 660,000 people have registered as displaced, with 120,000 sleeping at official shelters as of Monday.

- Evacuation warnings -

Israel said it killed the head of Hezbollah's Nasr unit operating in part of southern Lebanon, Abu Hussein Ragheb, on Monday.

Earlier, the Israeli military struck branches of Al-Qard al-Hassan, a US-sanctioned financial firm, after issuing evacuation warnings, according to Lebanese state media and AFP correspondents.

The Israeli army said it was "striking Hezbollah infrastructure" in the southern suburbs.

An AFP photographer in the area witnessed a massive explosion, while an armed Hezbollah member fired warning shots into the air to encourage residents to evacuate from their homes.

The Israeli army renewed previous orders for people in the area to leave.

Al-Qard al-Hassan is a lifeline for mainly Shia Muslim communities battling a years-long financial crisis in Lebanon that has locked people out of their bank deposits.

It says it has more than 30 branches nationwide, mainly in Hezbollah bastions such as Beirut's southern suburbs, but also in central Beirut and other major cities.

In Lebanon's southern city of Sidon, an area outside of Hezbollah's traditional sphere of influence, an AFP correspondent saw ambulances and civil defence vehicles gather around a branch of Al-Qard al-Hassan.

Israel also bombed the firm's branches during its last war with Hezbollah in 2024, including the one in Sidon.

Israeli tank fire killed a priest in the Christian southern Lebanese town of Al-Qlayaa, according to state media and a medical source.

- 'Path of allegiance' -

Hezbollah on Monday celebrated the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran's new supreme leader.

"We renew our pledge of loyalty to this blessed approach and our steadfastness on the path of allegiance," the group said in a statement.

It also claimed responsibility for at least 10 previous attacks against Israel and its forces, including against troops advancing into Lebanese border towns, as well as a missile salvo on an air base in Haifa.

It said it targeted the Israeli Home Front Command base in Ramla, near Tel Aviv, with "advanced missiles".

Earlier Monday, it also said it had fought Israeli troops who landed in eastern Lebanon by helicopter, the second such incident since the latest war began.

Israeli strikes on sites belonging to the Hezbollah-linked Islamic Health Committee in the Tyre and Jwaya areas in south Lebanon killed two paramedics and wounded six, the health ministry said, accusing Israel of "systematic targeting of rescue teams".

Despite the bombing in Beirut, Lebanon's parliament met on Monday and postponed legislative elections by two years due to the conflict.

The polls had been scheduled to take place in May.

Related Links
Space War News

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
WAR REPORT
'Very isolating': Israel's anti-war minority bucks national mood
Jerusalem (AFP) Mar 9, 2026
As Israel's national consciousness rallies behind the country's second offensive against Iran in under a year, a small group of anti-war activists equipped with posters and loudspeakers have mobilised to voice dissent. The vast majority of Jewish Israelis support the ongoing campaign of strikes on Iran, according to national polls published since the joint US-Israel operation began on February 28. A broad sweep of politicians from across the spectrum have also backed the military campaign, which ... read more

WAR REPORT
NATO intercepts second Iran missile in Turkish airspace

Japan to deploy counter-strike missiles closer to China

Italy to send air-defence aid to Gulf countries; France allowing US aircraft on some Mideast bases

Leonardo DRS infrared payloads selected for SDA Tracking Layer Tranche 3

WAR REPORT
Turkey says missile launched from Iran destroyed by NATO

Hypersonica completes milestone hypersonic missile flight test in Norway

Raytheon advances next generation short range interceptor with ballistic test

Russian strikes kill 4, wound two dozen in Ukraine

WAR REPORT
Hawk shape shifting in flight may guide future drone control

EU's Kallas warns anti-drone stock 'limited' as Mideast, Ukraine wars rage

Airspan extends 5G in motion to defense aerial networks

Zelensky says 11 countries asking Ukraine for drone help against Iran

WAR REPORT
MTN to deliver secure SpaceX government satcom for defense customers

EU brings secure GOVSATCOM hub online under GMV leadership

Balerion backs Northwood to tackle ground bottlenecks in expanding space economy

Aalyria spacetime platform tapped for AFRL space data network trials

WAR REPORT
New electrolyte design aims to make giant flow batteries safer

Aitech and Teledyne expand partnership on space grade SP1 computing platform

Gilat wins 9 million dollar MOD deal for secure defense satcom

Norway buys French bombs for Ukraine: ministry

WAR REPORT
Anthropic takes Trump administration to court over Pentagon row

Global arms exports soar on European demand: study

China boosts military spending with eyes on US, Taiwan

BAE Systems posts record order backlog as defence spending rises

WAR REPORT
Vibes war? Trump pitches Iran conflict on 'feeling'

China says opposes any targeting of new Iran leader

Four years after banning Russia, FIFA and IOC passive in the face of war

Mojtaba Khamenei: son and successor to Iran's supreme leader

WAR REPORT
Ultrafast thermal detector pushes gigahertz performance frontier

Carbon fibers bend and straighten under electric control

Engineered substrates sharpen single nanoparticle plasmon spectra

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2026 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.