Lebanon president says disarming Hezbollah 'delicate' as two dead in strikes on south

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Sunday that disarming the Iran-backed Hezbollah group was a "delicate" matter whose implementation required the right circumstances, warning that forcing the issue could lead the country to ruin.

His remarks came as Lebanon's health ministry said two people were killed in Israeli strikes in the country's south, the latest such raids despite a ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese militant group. Restricting the bearing of arms to the state is "a sensitive, delicate issue that is fundamental to preserving civil peace" and requires due "consideration and responsibility", Aoun told reporters. 

Hezbollah, long a dominant force in Lebanon, was left weakened by more than a year of hostilities with Israel, sparked by the Gaza war, including an Israeli ground incursion and two months of heavy bombardment that decimated the group's leadership.