Paris, July 16 -- Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi on Thursday declared that ending Hezbollah's military presence is a "sovereign Lebanese decision," marking a decisive shift in the country's efforts to consolidate state authority.

Reflecting on his remarks delivered at the French Senate, the Foreign Minister reaffirmed the sovereignty of Lebanon and announced that the nation will not return to duality. He announced the exclusion of "weapons" outside the state's authority.

"From the French Senate, I reaffirmed that Lebanon has made its choice: there will be no return to dual authority, and there is no longer any place for weapons outside the authority of the state or for decisions taken outside its constitutional institutions," h...